Bank Holiday approved, but who will take day off? – Daily Business

A bank holiday has been approved by the King for Scotland to mark its first appearance in the men’s World Cup for 28 years.

SNP Paul McLennan, described it as “fantastic news”, adding that “the entire country has been buzzing. This will be amazing for fans, pubs, bars and restaurants across all of Scotland.”

However, having received the recquired Royal Proclamation, businesses were divided over the benefits and even the desirability of shutting on Monday 15 June.

First Minister John Swinney has been accused of calling the holiday as an election gimmick. Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Tory spokesman for business and economy, said Mr Swinney “was busy chasing easy headlines rather than thinking through the implications of the holiday.”

First Minister John Swinney requested the holiday on 15 June though there will be no match that day – the opening fixture against Haiti kicks off in the early hours of the previous day.

That has prompted even pub landlords to say that it will do nothing to stimulate trade and that they would prefer longer opening hours around the actual games.

Colin Borland, the Scotland director at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Some politicians have been telling us we should all have the day off, others that we should keep the pubs open until four in the morning so we can all party. Clearly, you can’t do both.

“A better, more inclusive idea might have been to extend the licensing hours across the country to help our hard-pressed pubs and restaurants make the most of the opportunity.

“That could also include relaxing the licensing laws to allow happy hours and other promotions to help make the partying a bit more affordable.”

There are also questions over which workers will benefit as there is no statutory right to a day off work specifically on bank holidays.

Public sector workers, including civil servants, though Edinburgh and Fife councils, two of the largest local authorities in Scotland, have no plan to recognise the bank holiday, Staff will work, schools will be open and other services will operate as normal. Stirling council has suggested it will also ignore the holiday. It is not clear whether NHS staff will get the day off.

Internal government communication, obtained by The Times, reveals that officials have said the day off is likely to be met with criticism from the business community on the general grounds that it fails to recognise the impact on the economy.

A statement issued by the government said: “The first minister’s proposal for a bank holiday to follow Scotland’s opening game at the men’s Fifa World Cup will create an opportunity for the country to come together and share this landmark occasion.

“We would encourage employers, including NHS boards, local authorities and businesses to be as flexible as possible to ensure their staff have the opportunity to celebrate the team’s success. Decisions on licensing are a matter for individual licensing boards.”