Fair pay

Holiday pay

Holiday pay begins to accrue as soon as an employee begins work. Almost all employees are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year.

Employers must understand:

• what time off employees are entitled to, based on their contracted hours
• how employees should book time off and the notice period necessary

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) provide more information on holiday entitlement.

Sick pay

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) must be paid if an employee is too ill to work. It is paid by the employer for up to 28 weeks. To qualify for SSP, an employee must have been off work sick for 4 or more days in a row (including non-working days).

Employees who are too ill to work can’t receive less money than stipulated on the SSP. However, this can be more if stated on the contract of employment.

There are different sick pay rules for agricultural workers.