Manger insisting I use more annual leave days than requested!!?

I currently work in the retail sector in Scotland and my working week runs from Sun through to Sat.
I recently put in a request to have a weekend off only to have my manager put me down for a week off, running the sun through to the sat, which of course doesn't cover one of my original requested days. My manager made it very clear that all staff were no longer allowed weekends off, without taking the full week. The manager has done this because they are unhappy with the staff continuously requesting the weekends off.
This is not a policy currently held by the company and the manager has implemented on their own.

Is this legal? and what law (if any), prevents my manager from doing this?

misslabeled

I'm sorry, I don't know anything about Scotish law, but it sounds like the manager can't make the difficult decision to say no to someone for requested days of and decided to force people to waste their vacation time to avoid it. I would go to your human resources head, if you have one, to see if this was cleared with them. Managers do have some autonomy in the way their schedule their employees, but there is usually an overall policy they must adhere to. It's risky to go over his head, but what's the alternative? Hopefully Scotland has a law about retaliation and he cannot fire you for it, especially if he's found in violation of company rules.

MARK S

It is illegal.Tell your manager that you are only taking the weekend off as part of your leave, If you are told you can't tell him you will have to leave the company and will take them to court for constructive dismissal.
He will soon change his mind.

GAVIN E

There is no law that prevents them from doing this. They are considering the needs of the business.

As you are in the retail business, I would presume that Saturdays are one of your busiest days.

Do you have any odd days holidays that you could tag on to your week off, so that the extra day you require you could take as a holiday day?

aine c

Not to familiar with British Employment Law but I do know that you are likely to be entitled to have one weekend of a month however this may be incorpated into your employement contract basically a get out clause for the employer.

They have no right to make you take time off when you only requested a weekend off. As long as you give enough notice of requested time off surely this shouldn't be a problem for your employer especially when you give enough time. There is an onus on the employer to make you take holidays but its unlikely that should make you time off when you requested one weekend! This may not always happen if others have booked it off etc but if you generally happy to work allocated hours to you well they should try & give you the requested time off when asked! However it may not happen.

This suggest to me that the manager needs to have a closer review of how time off is requested & allocated to those deserving of it. Planing ahead especaially in retail is not always easy!! But I would suggest management review there policy, document it thus making it a little easier

Go to cipd.co.uk you may have to be a member but likely to get more information regrading employment law & holiday entitlements

Tinkerbell

Not sure whether this is legal or not. But there are somethings that you could do.

Talk to your boss, and explain why you need the weekend off. It might be that because you are in retail and saturdays is the busiest days she doesnt want everyone having full weekends off, but she might make an exception for you.

She/he is being very unreasonable, of course staff are going to want to take the odd weekend off without having the whole week off at the same time.
I would talk to her/him about this. Also it sounds like shes not even letting you take a whole weekend off, as you will have the sunday off of one week and the saturday of the next, so theres no way you could go away for the weekend!

*texasgirl*

it is illegal if the COMPANY does not allow it. however, they can fight it with saying (since im assuming your a teen) that it is okay to do. since my teens usually take off weekends

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