Holiday rights delivery day

New holiday rights won by BECTU at the European Court start on 25 October.

The UK Government has announced there will be a statutory right to paid leave on all new contracts starting on or after Thursday 25 October 2001, whatever their length.

There will no longer be a 13-week qualifying period previously applicable.

Individuals will not be able to insist on taking leave in the first month of an engagement, but on all engagements there will now be an entitlement from day one to a payment at the end of the engagement for leave accrued but not taken.

This follows the European Court of Justice ruling in June that the UK government is in breach of European employment law in denying freelance workers and those on short-term contracts the right to four weeks paid annual leave.

The ruling was in reponse to BECTU's legal challenge against UK legislation launched in 1999.