State funeral: bosses to decide if construction stops

Monday 19th September 2022 will be a national holiday for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II but you will only get the day off work if your boss says it is okay.

HM Queen Elizabeth II (21st April 1926 – 8th September 2022)The government has declared next Monday as a national holiday but insists that this does not give anyone the right to down tools for the day.

“This is a matter for discussion between individuals and their employer,” the government says, in answer to the question ‘do we get the day off work?’. It says: “There is no statutory entitlement to time off for bank holidays, but employers may include bank holidays as part of a worker’s leave entitlement.”

If you are made to work on the day of the funeral, do not expect any extra pay. “This is a matter for discussion between you and your employer,” the government says. “There are no statutory rules regarding extra pay on bank holidays”.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC), a forum of industry and government representatives, says that bosses should at least “consider” giving “some kind of leave” – “where possible” – but both government and industry representatives stress that there is no obligation on employers and no rights for employees to stop work for the funeral.

The CLC guidance on mourning protocol (yes, it exists) says: “Our guidance is that organisations should – where possible – consider offering their employees some kind of leave to enable them to pay their respects.”

The CLC does say, however, that it might be worth thinking about suspending work temporarily if the crowds in the vicinity are overwhelming. “Given the nature of construction activity, it is advisable companies carefully consider on an individual basis, whether those sites operating in the vicinity of specific areas (eg central London) should continue to do so during the mourning period and the state funeral, especially at times when large crowds are likely to gather to pay their respects,” it says.

Other advice is equally prosaic: “Organisations can acknowledge the mourning period by making changes to the homepage of their website, for example, with the use of black edging or black banners.”