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Acas offers holiday help as minimum allowance increases

ADVISORY, CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION SERVICE News Release issued by The Government News Network on 1 October 2007

With holiday entitlements to increase by four days from 1 October 2007, employment relations service Acas has launched a new guide offering free advice to help employers introduce the changes.

Research undertaken in a survey last year showed that 63% of UK managers were not using their full holiday entitlement and that almost half were losing up to two weeks holiday because they fail to book the time off. As a result, Acas is urging employers and employees to make the most of the changes.

The Acas guide Holidays and holiday pay is available free online to businesses and employees at http://www.acas.org.uk. The guide offers free advice on holiday rights for full and part-time workers and guidance on how to calculate holiday pay.

The amendments mean that employers may have to take some of the following actions:

* Recalculate new entitlement for part-time and full-time employees
* Inform all employees in writing of the increased entitlement from 1 October
* Ensure that all new written statements of employment feature the updated holiday and holiday pay entitlements.

Susan Clews, Acas Director commented: "With recent changes to holiday entitlement coming into play, this new guide will help employees calculate what they are entitled to and will help employers understand precisely what they should be providing.

"This will ensure that workers make the most of their holiday entitlement and help businesses - particularly smaller ones - plan effectively for periods when employees are away."

Statutory holiday entitlement increases to 4.8 weeks (24 days if you work a five day week) from 1 October 2007 and to 5.6 weeks (28 days if you work a five day week) from 1 April 2009.

Employers or employees who need further help can call the Acas helpline on 08457 47 47 47 for free confidential advice or book online for one of Acas' training courses, available throughout Britain.

Notes to editors:

1 Acas' aim is to improve organisations and working life through better employment relations. It provides information, advice, training and a range of services working with employers and employees to prevent or resolve problems and improve performance. It is an independent statutory body governed by a Council consisting of the Acas Chair and employer, trade union and independent members.

2 Copies of the Acas guidance can be downloaded free of charge from the Acas website (http://www.acas.org.uk) or from the publications orderline on 08702 42 90 90.

Research:
* Undertaken by Chartered Management Institute (CMI) in 2006 when 553 UK executives were questioned

Acas National
Brandon House, 180 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LW
http://www.acas.org.uk