It may be common practice, but it is still * shit and they shouldn't be allowed to do it. Employers should (and I thought this was coming in) be stopped from making you take public holidays from your holiday entitlement.
Stuff about Thatcher....
You are a disgrace and I'm looking forward to when someone you respect dies so I can rub your liberal face in it.
The alternative is asking for all public holidays to be assigned as mandatory paid leave, which would presumably have significant effects on small businesses/SMEs and pay rates to work on said bank holidays?
chrismoyles.net
