No extra holiday for SIC staff

STAFF at Shetland Islands Council are not to be given the day off to celebrate the royal wedding in April or the Tall Ships visit to Lerwick in July.

Councillors on Wednesday rejected the idea of following the lead of Glasgow City Council and declaring 29 April a public holiday after hearing it would cost the council around £375,000 in lost productivity

The cost of paying essential staff such as social care workers and ferry crews to work would cost a further £93,000, personnel manager Denise Bell reported.

The wedding day for Prince William and Kate Middleton will be the second day of Shetland Folk Festival and will require council-owned Islesburgh Community Centre to be open.

Staff would have to be paid double or treble time for any hours they worked and given a day off at a later date if they worked on a public holiday.

Ten out of 12 local authorities in Scotland have agreed to offer an additional annual leave day which staff must take on 29 April, with anyone unable to take the day off being given a day off in lieu.

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Councillors unanimously backed vice convener Josie Simpson when he suggested no extra day off be granted.

Councillor Gary Robinson said: “If anybody is that keen to have the day off for the royal wedding or the Tall Ships it’s not beyond the realms to take it out of their annual leave.”