Extra leave welcome for construction workers

02.04.09

Construction union UCATT have warmly welcomed new laws that guarantee full-time workers a minimum of 28 days paid holiday a year.

The new regulations on holidays came into effect on April 1st. The additional paid leave entitlement is particularly important in the construction industry where companies have been traditionally reluctant to pay workers for any annual leave.

The new rules apply to all workers and not just employees, hundreds of thousands of bogus self-employed construction workers will also benefit from the changes.

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of construction union UCATT, said: “The extra holiday that construction workers are now entitled to is a major step forward. Construction is an industry where many bosses have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. If they thought they could get away with it many companies would pay their workers no benefits whatsoever.”

UCATT will be campaigning to ensure that all construction workers are given the additional leave entitlement. Despite it being compulsory, many companies have previously gone to extraordinary lengths to prevent construction workers receiving paid holidays.

Mr Ritchie, added: “Some disreputable companies will try to ignore the 28 day holiday entitlement. If UCATT members are denied their full holiday entitlement the union will do everything to ensure that the correct leave is applied and will make an example of companies trying to steal holidays from their workers.”

The additional paid leave entitlement comes just a week after UCATT won a two year battle against housing giant Redrow over sham contracts and substitution clauses. Many construction companies, insert substitution clauses into contracts, which suggest that a worker can decline work or get someone else to conduct the task, in order to prove workers are self-employed and therefore are not entitled to holiday pay.

However both an Employment Tribunal and an Employment Appeals Tribunal found that the contract was not a true reflection on the relationship and that in practice work could not be declined or given to others. The judgement will mean that thousands of construction workers with similar contracts will now be entitled to holiday pay.

Mr Ritchie, further added: “Recent judgements and the new rules are strengthening a legal framework which will help to ensure that paid holidays are the norm in the construction industry and not a rare bonus.”

The new leave entitlement can include the 8 public holidays.