Over the past few years the global recession and other contributing economic factors have gone a long way to limiting the amount of foreign holidays that people are taking. Whether or not they are in fear of losing their job imminently, the unstable economic climate has put many people off the idea of holidaying abroad, meaning that people are more likely to holiday at home, staying in hotels, tenting or ‘glamping’.
With the global recovery gathering steam, people are becoming more confident that their jobs are somewhat more secure, and are thus more inclined to want to actually spend out on a holiday. Recent developments have also buoyed the confidence of holidaymakers, including calls by many in education to revoke the ban on term time holidays for school children, and the landmark ruling which states that regular overtime should be considered when awarding holiday pay to workers.
Fair Pay for Overtime Workers
Earlier this month, a ruling made at the Employment Appeal Tribunal found in favour of workers who should be able to include their regular overtime in holiday pay. Previously it was the case that only basic hours counted when holiday pay was calculated, meaning that workers who were on contracts which were far less than the hours that they usually work are now entitled to holiday pay which actually reflects their normal working week. Similarly, the tribunal also stated that workers should be entitled to make backdated claims, leading to a lump sum being payable in many cases, although this only covers a limited time frame.
The landmark ruling was praised by employment specialist barrister Caspar Glyn, who stated that “normal pay is normal pay and that should be paid when you’re on holiday.”
Calls for a Return to the Old System
In a deeply unpopular move from former Education Secretary Michael Gove, headteachers were banned in September 2013 from authorising parents taking their children from school to go on holiday, unless there were exceptional circumstances involved. This has resulted in fines and fixed term penalties being issued to parents who flouted this ban. The Local Government Association have called for this ruling to be overturned, saying that the rules are not in step with the complexities of family life.
David Simmonds, who is the chairman of the children and young people board at the Local Government Association called for a common sense approach, suggesting that a one-size-fits-all rule is too strict and unflexible and doesn’t take into account different circumstances for difference families.”
More holiday pay for workers who routinely work overtime and a potential return to the old system where parents can take their children out of school for up to 10 days are two potentially great pieces of news for people wishing to take a holiday. For your own personal holiday home, visiting a site such as www.sellmytimeshare.tv can give you a wide range of options in a number of different destinations.
With the potential of this great news in the pipeline for many holidaymakers, all that is needed now is a guarantee of fantastic weather during your holiday!