THOUSANDS of people in Huddersfield are looking forward to the royal wedding.
But many have been told they will have to work without extra pay on the big day.
Hundreds of health workers will have to work the public holiday without any extra pay.
When Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their wedding date, Prime Minister David Cameron said April 29 would be a bank holiday.
But the Department of Health is allowing each hospital and health trust to decide its own arrangements for time off and pay.
And NHS Kirklees have decided not to class the royal big day as a bank holiday – with staff told to work as if it is any normal Friday.
The decision has been branded as “mean” by UNISON.
A spokeswoman for NHS Kirklees said: “The royal wedding day is not classed as a bank holiday for NHS staff under nationally negotiated terms and conditions, and it is recognised that some staff may still be required to work.
“If any employee of NHS Kirklees works on this day, payment and conditions of service will be those which apply on a normal Friday, with a day off in lieu.
“An additional day’s leave has been allocated to commissioning staff at NHS Kirklees to mark the royal wedding.”
A Huddersfield man, who did not want to be named, told the Examiner his employer Allsops – a sheet metal manufacturer in Honley – had told him he would have to work the extra bank holiday.
The man said: “I was looking forward to getting into it. Some people have already booked holiday around it. David Cameron came out saying it was going to be a bank holiday so it should be for us too.
“It’s a bit mean to people who want to celebrate it. A lot of people want to go and watch the wedding, I would go and celebrate it as I think without the monarchy this country would go to pot.”
However, Ian Johnson, finance director at Allsops, told the Examiner: “We are aware that we are under no legal obligation to allow employees to take the royal Bank Holiday off, however no decision has yet been made in relation to whether to allow this.”
Meanwhile Kirklees Council, one of Huddersfield’s biggest employers, said they will be observing the Bank Holiday.
A Kirklees Council spokesman said: “The Government has designated April 29 as a national Bank Holiday to mark the royal wedding so it will be treated as a Bank Holiday by the council.
“Most offices and public buildings will be closed for the day but essential services will continue to operate, as they always do over holidays and weekends.
“Staff who work that day will be paid in line with usual bank holiday payments.”
A Huddersfield University spokesman said they would be observing the bank holiday.
