Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Part-Time Worker Reclaims £12,000 in Unpaid Holiday Pay After Querying Employer

MoneySavingExpert highlights the case to prompt checks on statutory leave rights for part-time and irregular-hours staff.

Overview

  • Joanne, 59, left full-time financial services work in 2021, continued casually, and returned in 2023 on variable hours averaging about 25 per week.
  • After contacting her employer’s HR department, she learned she was owed £12,000, which was paid in her December pay packet.
  • She called the payout an “absolute godsend” after using retirement savings for a private hip replacement following a severe arthritis diagnosis.
  • UK law entitles most workers to 5.6 weeks’ paid annual leave on a pro rata basis, including those on part-time, temporary, seasonal or irregular-hours contracts.
  • MoneySavingExpert advises workers to check contracts and payslips, raise concerns with employers, use formal grievance procedures if needed, and seek guidance from Acas or Citizens Advice before considering a tribunal.