Bank holiday confirmation coming

Monday 08 July 2019

After the suggested move of one of next May's bank holidays, the States of Guernsey look set to confirm that within weeks.

The Committee for Economic Development has put a proposition to the States, asking Deputies to agree formally to moving one of the statutory days off, to be in line with a change planned in the UK to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

The UK government was asked to cancel the May Day Bank Holiday, due to be held on Monday 4 May 2020, and instead give workers a day off on Friday 8 May - the anniversary of the date the war in Europe officially ended in 1945.

Guernsey celebrates Liberation Day on 9 May instead, being the day the island was officially liberated from Nazi occupation. However, Liberation Day isn't an official bank holiday, despite previous attempts to have it written down in law as such.

For next year, with larger scale celebrations planned for the 75th anniversary of Guernsey's liberation, the States will be asked to agree a change to the May Day Bank Holiday to be inline with the UK.

The policy letter entitled "Public Holidays in May 2020", will ask deputies to "approve that Monday 4th May 2020 shall not be a public holiday" and also to "approve that Friday 8th May 2020 shall be a public holiday".

That will mean people in Guernsey will have a three day weekend to mark the 75th Liberation Day as well as VE Day.

The States are expected to approve this proposal during the States meeting due to begin on 17 July.