A new campaign to remind workers of their right to paid holiday leave and ensure employers check their staff are taking their leave has been launched by government.
Every worker is legally entitled to paid time off for every hour they work, whether they work part-time, shifts or irregular hours.
According to research by Unpaid Britain, workers are missing out on £1.8bn a year in unpaid holiday leave. The research suggests that total unpaid wages amounted to £3.1bn in 2016, with over half of this being unpaid holiday pay – with 6.6 million workers in the bottom 30% of the wage distribution incurring an annual pay penalty of £470. Estimates suggest that £4.5bn is misappropriated from agency workers annually, and again, over half of this is unpaid holiday pay.
Business Minister Paul Scully said:
“We want Britain to be the best place in the world to work, and all workers, regardless of the hours they do, should receive the paid time off they are entitled to. Entitlement to paid annual leave from day one in a job is just one of many measures the government has in place to ensure we can all balance work with our personal lives.”
People that work atypical working patterns, such as agency workers or temporary staff, as well as part-time workers or those that do shift work, are most at risk of missing out on pay.
The campaign aims to highlight the importance of ensuring both staff and employers are aware of the entitlements, as well as making sure that holiday pay is calculated properly so staff are paid the right amount.
More information on holiday pay can be found on Gov.UK, including a statutory holiday pay calculator, which takes into account different working patterns.