M&S to give 50,000 workers an extra day off for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

M&S stores will still remain open over the bumper bank holiday Platinum Jubilee weekend, with the exception of a small handful, although some may have slightly reduced hours

Marks and Spencer is to give thousands of workers an extra bank holiday day to use to make the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

There will be an extra long four-day weekend at the start of June as Her Majesty marks 70 years on the throne.

Buckingham Palace has confirmed there will be a bank holiday on Friday, June 3, for the Platinum Jubilee.

Thursday, June 2, will also be a day off, because the Spring bank holiday that usually takes place on the last Monday in May has been pushed back.

M&S stores will remain open over the bumper bank holiday weekend, with the exception of a small handful, although some may have slightly reduced hours.

But all retail, distribution centre and customer service colleagues will be given an additional day of holiday to use across any of the four days.

“This is to help them celebrate this historic national occasion with friends & family and to thank them for their continual efforts to deliver for our customers,” M&S said in a statement.

Helen Milford, M&S stores director said: “Everyone at M&S is looking forward to celebrating this historic national occasion in just a few months’ time.

“To help our colleagues celebrate, we’re pleased to be giving them an additional day of holiday to use over the Jubilee weekend. We hope they enjoy the celebrations.”

M&S told The Mirror that 50,000 workers will be given an extra day off.

Is your employer refusing to give you an extra bank holiday to mark the Platinum Jubilee? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk

To check the hours of their local store, customers should check the store locator page on the M&S website.

If you’re employed and get paid holiday, there is a way to get nine days off work by booking just three days’ worth of holiday around the Platinum Jubilee weekend.

It involves booking off Monday, May 30, Tuesday, May 31, and Wednesday, June 1 as paid holiday – the extra bank holiday days for the Queen’s Jubilee will then follow on Thursday, June 2 and Friday, June 3.

But take into account the weekends either side – Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29, and then Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5 – and you’ll be off for a total of nine days, despite only booking three of those off.

In total, you’ll be out of work from Saturday, May 28 and won’t go back in until Monday, June 6.

Of course, this trick only works if you don’t usually work weekends and you’re not contracted to work bank holidays.

Full-time workers in the UK are entitled to 28 days paid leave a year, and some employers choose to include Bank Holidays.

The extra bank holidays for next year are to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, who succeeded her father King George VI to the throne 70 years ago in 1952.

The Queen, who was just 25 years old at the time, actually took over on February 6 but – as this was the date of her father’s death – she pushed the day back to June that year.