Boxing Day: ‘Stick with bank holiday Monday’

Friday 30th October 2009, 2:59PM GMT.

Ray Shead

POLITICIANS are being urged to stop fiddling around with Boxing Day.

The president of the Chamber of Commerce, Ray Shead, who represents shopkeepers, said that the status quo as recently decided by the States was the most sensible way forward.

Earlier this month, States Members voted to make Monday 28 December a bank holiday instead of Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December. The change was accepted to make sure that those people who did not normally work on a Saturday, such as most office employees, did not lose a bank holiday day off.

However, it has raised concerns that shop workers will now have just one day off for Christmas and might have to work on both the 26 and 28 December. There are currently three Boxing Day States propositions waiting to be debated from three different politicians.

Deputy Andrew Green wants to make Boxing Day (26 December) a restricted trading day, like a Sunday. His proposition would mean that only convenience shops would open.

Deputy Ian Gorst has tabled a motion to make it illegal for all shops, including convenience stores, to open on Christmas Day.

Finally Deputy Shona Pitman has produced a States projet calling on the States to make 26 December an additional bank holiday this year. That would mean that both 26 and 28 December would this year be a bank holiday.

1
muppet

October 30, 2009 at 4:25 pm

So if the debate starts now for 2010 perhaps this ongoing farce could be stopped before it starts (yes, next year Xmas day is a Saturday and Boxing Day on Sunday) funny that, the date doesn’t change year on year so why leave it to now to debate a recurring event?

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2
Adrian

October 30, 2009 at 4:26 pm

I would make everything shut down for four days except for emergency services so that the workers get a decent break. There are plenty of other opportunities in the year to make money.

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3
Marx

October 30, 2009 at 6:04 pm

26th December is my birthday, so I’ll be pulling a sickie that day regardless what the States think.

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4
James

October 30, 2009 at 6:21 pm

Bless, I’m so glad I left this “special” little island. I see Jersey’s talented politicians have nothing better to do with their time (or is it that they simply don’t understand larger problems)!

Perhaps it should be considered that not everyone on this little rock operates on Neanderthal time and that some might have actually started to operate in a similar way to the UK, or maniland Europe or Asia etc.

What a funny little rock!

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5
Q

October 30, 2009 at 6:29 pm

Unbelievable!

The first time you reported this story weeks ago I thought then it was a waste of valuable states time but now it seems they are to debate three proposals – so more wasted time.

While threats on our finance industry looms, while jersey fights recession, the unions and deals with a flu epidemic the states in their wisdom will be debating boxing day – it beggers belief. It reminds me of Nero fiddling while Rome burns.

Please Please Please can they have the sense to agree the next ten year’s worth of boxing days like any other civilised country and not debate things 7 weeks to Christmas and leave managers with an HR issue.

Also if they looked at their diaries and planned ahead I think they would have found the bank holidays already agreed in there.

here is a helping hand which will hopefully reduce the debating time and so they can get on with the real issues and look like a government that can actually govern….

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/LivingintheUK/DG_073741

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6
Anne

October 30, 2009 at 7:39 pm

Boxing Day is 26th December. Always has been always will or was? Leave public holidays alone.. tough for Monday to Friday workers!

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7
Magnolia Man

October 30, 2009 at 10:56 pm

Just what is the point or reason for being so curmudgeonly over Boxing Day – be it on 26 December or two days later?

Is it just so that Jersey shopkeepers can squeeze yet another few pounds from our already battered bank accounts?

Or is it just out of spite towards people working in the retail and distributive trades?

Answers will be welcomed.

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8
Nathan Jordan

October 31, 2009 at 9:26 am

Given the variety of religions and days on which various people can work, the solution is actually quite simple.

Count up the number of bank holidays per year and add them to the statutory minimum leave to which everyone is entitled by law. In effect this would give people more control rather than being told when they can and cannot work.

This would mean if you really wanted to, you could have five days off over Xmas and not lift a finger. Or you could take religious days off in accordance with your personal religious beliefs i.e not necessarily Christian.

Or if you have to work through the festive period as for example some hospital workers do, you can also take your leave before then or in January on a rollover basis.

NJ.

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9
Adrian

October 31, 2009 at 12:38 pm

In Jersey minimum annual leave by law two weeks. Plus bank holidays which vary between 8 and 9 depending on when Liberation Day falls.

So in Jersey an employer by law only has to give 10 days plus 8 when they are lucky, like this year, or at most 10+9 = 19 days leave per year.

In the UK minimum annual leave by law is four weeks plus 8 days bank holidays every year.

So in the UK workers get 28 days a year off versus 18 or 19 days off in good old Jersey.

Now some employers might be able to claw back another bank holiday to go with Liberation Day.

Merry Christmas, or as some would say Bah! Humbug!

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10
William

October 31, 2009 at 9:49 pm

What a load of nonesence, Boxing day is the 26th of December and always has been. Have all the emergency services, hotel and restaurant staff, taxi drivers etc been forgotton? Get real…. It falls on a weekend, tough.

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11
JULIE

November 1, 2009 at 9:41 am

Well said William (comment 10) !!

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12
Q

November 2, 2009 at 1:40 pm

Look good people of Jersey the date of boxing day is not in dispute it is when the bank holiday day is taken and other countries have already worked this one out years ago…….

When the usual date of a bank or public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a ‘substitute day’ is given, normally the following Monday.

For example in 2009, Boxing Day is actually on Saturday, 26 December, so there is a substitute bank holiday on Monday, 28 December.

They have also worked out future years and based on the discussion and wasted debate time for this year we can look forward to more wasted time as you are going to have lots of fun for the next two years – but again other people have already worked it out…..

2010
christmas day saturday 25th
boxing day sunday 26th
substitue day (xmas)monday 27th dec
substitute day (boxing day) tues 28th Dec

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/LivingintheUK/DG_073741

Please can we stop this futile and ill informed debate.

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13
Magnolia Man

November 2, 2009 at 2:06 pm

Adrian (#9) stated that:

“So in Jersey an employer by law only has to give 10 days plus 8 when they are lucky, like this year, or at most 10+9 = 19 days leave per year.”

Adrian, there is (nearly always) a boat in the morning and lots of planes every day.

If you are dissatisfied, go elsewhere. If you want change, then stand for the States.

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14
D

November 6, 2009 at 10:05 am

I agree with Q, as far as I am concerned whenever a bank holiday has fallen on a Sat or Sun, there is always a substitute day. In the case of 2010 25/12 & 26/12 are on a Saturday and Sunday so therefore there are 2 substitue days on Monday and Tuesday.

Have Jersey never had this situation in the whole time of its existence?! What has happened in the pase?!

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15
Leah Holmes

November 6, 2009 at 2:30 pm

This is somewhat hilarious. As many people have stated the States could have planned this out decades ago, it’s not like our calendar has suddenly changed and thrown us into disarray!

And only in a totally money-obsessed society could we have to agree to ban shops opening on Christmas day. Honestly, it’s one day! And if you’re not religious then just see it as an opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones (be they family or friends). Maybe you’ll realise that people are more important than money.

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16
Katie

November 10, 2009 at 10:11 am

I actually have a legal question then. So my retail shop employer can actually make us work? I don’t have the option to not work?

And just as an added opinion, all these poor office people get every single weekend off unlike retail people and now just to save them we get cheated out of a 4 day holiday and now it’s just one christmas day. Really thank you so much! because god knows retail don’t work hard….

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