Paying for too many holidays advice needed.

bricam2096 · Post by **bricam2096** » 11 Jun 2018, 21:47

Hi, I have been searching the forum for answers to my questions but don't seem to find any so hopefully you will be able to give me advice and answers.

Anyway...I worked for Royal Mail for 5 and a half years and then moved location but was unable to get a transfer. A year later I got back into Royal Mail at my new location and have been here now for 12 and a half years.

When I rejoined RM I was told that I would lose seniority as I'd had a break in service, which I understand but I have now been told that my 2 separate periods working for RM should be added together making my total service around 18 years, firstly is this correct?

I looked on "Mybundle" and it says my Annual Entitlement is 183.3 hours, which with my dodgy maths would be around 4 and a half weeks, which I think is what you get up to 15 years service. Now, if I've indeed worked 18 years, should I not be entitled to some extra days every month?

To confuse matters, I purchase annual leave so that I get 6 weeks every year, so for the last 2/3 years I have been paying for some days that I'm possibly entitled to anyway (if that makes sense). Therefore, I'm also paying more each week out of my pay towards these holidays.

Hopefully this all makes sense? I've been trying to find an email address for HR so that I can put everything in writing and more important, have replies in writing but I don't seem to find one. If I'm correct about my service being 18 years and not 12, then I assume I'm owed days that I've paid for or at least money back plus my weekly pay changed as I shouldn't be purchasing as many days.

Has anyone got any help/advice about any of this before I take it further? Many thanks.

bricam2096 · Post by **bricam2096** » 11 Jun 2018, 22:12

An afterthought, am I due even more days/money back?

If the 2 separate periods of service count as 1, when I started here I should have been on the 5 years service holiday entitlement and not zero years, meaning that I should have had an extra half day holiday (is this correct) every year, so in effect they owed me a half day every year from the day I started until the point where my 2 periods of service added up to 15 years......sorry, my brain hurts now, haha

clashcityrocker · Post by **clashcityrocker** » 12 Jun 2018, 14:07

Although the break in service meant you lose your seniority, (for the purposes of resigns etc) you should not have lost your holiday entitlement.

All periods of employment with RM should count towards your holiday entitlement.

When you returned to RM you already had over 5 years service and you now have over 15 years,
You should have the appropriate amount of holidays for the length of service,

feduppostie · Post by **feduppostie** » 12 Jun 2018, 15:14

you will be entitled to the holidays for both parts of your service - however you have to prove you did both parts to HR - they do not have records from that long ago

So if you have wage slips etc from the first period great contact HR and they will sort it out

if not then you can't prove it and you don't get it

this exact thing happened in my office - 2 people - one could prove it ( old wage slips and p60's) one couldn't - one got it the other didn't

fed_up_postie · Post by **fed_up_postie** » 12 Jun 2018, 15:52

bricam2096 wrote:Hi, I have been searching the forum for answers to my questions but don't seem to find any so hopefully you will be able to give me advice and answers.

Anyway...I worked for Royal Mail for 5 and a half years and then moved location but was unable to get a transfer. A year later I got back into Royal Mail at my new location and have been here now for 12 and a half years.

When I rejoined RM I was told that I would lose seniority as I'd had a break in service, which I understand but I have now been told that my 2 separate periods working for RM should be added together making my total service around 18 years, firstly is this correct?

I looked on "Mybundle" and it says my Annual Entitlement is 183.3 hours, which with my dodgy maths would be around 4 and a half weeks, which I think is what you get up to 15 years service. Now, if I've indeed worked 18 years, should I not be entitled to some extra days every month?

To confuse matters, I purchase annual leave so that I get 6 weeks every year, so for the last 2/3 years I have been paying for some days that I'm possibly entitled to anyway (if that makes sense). Therefore, I'm also paying more each week out of my pay towards these holidays.

Hopefully this all makes sense? I've been trying to find an email address for HR so that I can put everything in writing and more important, have replies in writing but I don't seem to find one. If I'm correct about my service being 18 years and not 12, then I assume I'm owed days that I've paid for or at least money back plus my weekly pay changed as I shouldn't be purchasing as many days.

Has anyone got any help/advice about any of this before I take it further? Many thanks.

You are not entitled to some extra days every month!!! You are entitled to the annual leave for services of between 15 and 20 years which is 5 weeks! Up to 15 years service is 23 and a half days, 15 years service is 25 days and when you reach 20 years service you get the maximum of 30 days and any purchased days will be stopped

Post by **97gaz** » 12 Jun 2018, 19:07

Post by **eric the viking** » 12 Jun 2018, 20:11

Wouldn't pensions be able to confirm your service?

buntin · Post by **buntin** » 13 Jun 2018, 17:35

yes . write to pensions like i did as you will probs be in 2 different pension schemes like i was . Ask them to send you a letter confirming the date you joined the first pension scheme you were in and the date you left it . Thats what i had to do to prove i worked for the company previously . The letter confirming my first stint arrived within a week.It should all get back dated to account for the days you have not been allocated.

bricam2096 · Post by **bricam2096** » 14 Jun 2018, 19:27

Thank you for all the advice, it's most reassuring.

I meant to say that I should be entitled to a few extra days every year, not month as I wrongly typed...oops.

I shall contact the pensions department, hopefully I exist.

buntin · Post by **buntin** » 14 Jun 2018, 19:39

Pensions department will have record of you mate , for sure . Thats the route i had to go down as HR supposedly had no record of me.