The Written Podcast: Bank Holiday Mondays

Here in England, we have Bank Holidays, which always fall on a Monday, unless there is a special occasion, which doesn’t happen often, or Christmas and New Years’ happen to fall on a Monday. We have 5 Bank Holidays, and they give us the enjoyment of an extra Monday’s holiday, making that particular weekend a nice relaxing three-day weekend. That nice moment on a Sunday afternoon when normally you feel the aching realisation of Monday’s work looming over your shoulder, only to suddenly remember that it’s actually an obligated holiday and you can very much have a long lay in, in the morning. That feeling is maximised tenfold during the winter months and it’s pelting down with rain, freezing everything it touches and you’re wrapped up in fourteen layers of blankets, sitting watching whatever you want on the TV.

It wasn’t always for everyone in the country, however. The reason it’s called Bank Holidays, is because it was only a luxury given to bankers. That’s right, only bankers. I’ll let you insert your own jokes in this sentence. Over the years, the holiday had been opened up to everyone across the country. The entire country shutting down for three consecutive days in a row.

Apart from Christmas day, New Years’ day, which are always changing year by year, and whilst the dates of these Bank Holidays do change also, they always remain on a Monday (go figure). Sure, Easter Monday implies it always fall on a Monday, and coupled with Good Friday, that’s a pleasant four-day weekend – they don’t count as they’re not called Bank Holidays, I guess. This year, the dates of our Bank Holidays were: Early May Bank Holiday – May 7^th, Spring Bank Holiday – May 28^th, Summer Bank Holiday – August 27^th. We’ve no more Bank Holiday Mondays until next year, unfortunately. And it was during the Bank Holiday in May that I really only noticed something strange. It’s not really a holiday it used to be. After it was opened up to everyone across the country, Britain really did shut down for that one day, but as times have progressed and developed, the Bank Holiday seems to be for only a select few businesses. More so than just the banks, but still far fewer than what there used to be.

Hoteliers, retailers, cinemas, restauranteurs including chefs and waiters and waitresses, TV presenters, radio DJs, film editors, car salespeople, Taxi drivers, and then some more – for most people who work in that business work on Bank Holidays. A friend of mine pointed out that they can work on Bank Holiday through choice, they don’t have to work on those days – but someone has to. Hotels aren’t going to not help their guests, restaurants actually make a heck of a lot of money during national holidays, and understandably so, because more people are out and about – which means waiters and waitresses have to serve the food, and with more people about the streets, then retailers aren’t going to pass up on the opportunity of making a bit more money, or Taxi drivers, or car salespeople, are they? TV stations aren’t going to shut down for the whole day, neither will radio DJs, and film editors always have a strict deadline they must stick to.

It certainly gives the impression that Bank Holidays aren’t as much of as a holiday like it used to be. Yet, on the other hand, the business who do work during these holidays do so for justifiable reasons, and ones I can fully understand. Before, when the entire country shut down, no one did anything, but as times have progressed and developed, the entire country shutting down for a whole day would disrupt it more than benefit it. It’s easier to move about, so of course people will go out for meals, of course they’ll do as much shopping as they can before they’re back at work, and if people want to go out, then why should all those businesses prevent them from spending their money. Sure, they’ve got days prior to that one Monday, so why can’t they do everything then? Three days off work; an extra day – translated to – two days of doing nothing, then one day doing everything – it’s certainly something I’d end up doing.

Bank Holidays do give people the pleasure of having an extra day off work, but that just means the country won’t shut down entirely anymore. I also want to transition from Bank Holidays to Christmas Day, New Years’ day, Good Friday, and Easter Monday, because all those business mentioned above apart from retailers, cinemas, Taxi drivers, film editors, also have to work then as well.

During Christmas day, more of the country shuts down, as it does during Easter. But, for the same reasons as justified above, hotels aren’t going to stop attending to their guests, are they? Kick everyone out on Christmas day because the receptionist is off duty – that’s going to give that hotel a good write up; not.

When picking up my Grandma on Christmas day, I was listening to the radio and wondered why they’re working during the day they should be spending time with their family? In fact, every radio station and TV station has employees working during Christmas day, and of course there are, purely because of one simple reason – keeping that money rolling in. Now, once again, my friend pointed out that they do have a choice whether to work on Christmas day – and I’m sure they do and maybe one particular Christmas on a network that’s paid for via money gathered by adverts, no one comes in and the network has to shut down – it’s certainly a possibility, or is it? Just think how many adverts are shown during any one day, and how many people see those adverts at any one time, and then increase that number by a large percentage during Christmas day. If a network paid for by adverts shut down during Christmas day, how much money do you think it’ll lose – and how much opportunities would be made with the money made during Christmas day alone? It’s the same with radio DJs on stations that runs adverts.

So what about the BBC, which doesn’t make money via advertisement. Can’t those people refuse to work during that day? Well, maybe they can, but there’s one very good reason why they do work: More money. Bank Holidays, Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Easter Monday are classed as antisocial hours, which means they will always get paid up to three times their normal hourly rate, and who’s going to turn down that chance. The national minimum wage for people over 25 is £7.53. Times three, £22.59 per hour, for an entire shift of varying hours – but let’s go by the common 8 hours. £22.59 X 8 = £180.72 during Christmas day, and Bank Holidays, and Good Friday, and Easter Monday. £180.72 X 8 days = £1,445.76. That to some people is an entire monthly rate on top of what they usually get, and that figure is going by those who get paid the minimum. It’s common for business to pay above that rate, so the final figure they potentially take home can be hitting and/or smashing through £3,000.00. What’s not to like about that?

So, there are those who don’t understand how people can work during those 8 days, and I used to be one of them. Upon looking at the facts and understanding that times have changed, and of course seeing how much money they could be making, those who are working during Bank Holidays, Christmas and Easter are probably enjoying the days just as much as those who are tucked up in bed – not making as much as them.

I can see the other side of the argument as well: it’s all about money; all business want is more money; can’t they just take a day out for once. Sure, a large portion of their reason for operating is about money, but from what I can gather, it’s also because the entire country just refuses to shut down. A good chunk of holidaying people will remain at home, not bothering to do a single thing, and that’s just as perfectly fine as those who refuses to do nothing and go out and about, and there’s some that actually only get the chance to shop during Bank Holidays.

Bank Holidays aren’t going anywhere. Just because the country doesn’t shut down completely doesn’t mean the national holiday is disappearing. Having those holidays actually benefit the economy, and as stated above, people want to work during those hours, because of reasons they don’t have to explain to anyone.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)