Pay-out over holiday and voluntary overtime

More than 150 construction workers are inline to receive payments totalling an estimated ￡250,000 for unpaid holiday related to voluntary overtime.

Staff at concrete frame contractors Byrne Bros, who worked on high-profile construction projects in central London, have been awarded between ￡400 and ￡1,000 each in holiday pay, with further back payments to follow. The payments followed a campaign led by the union Unite that culminated in a collective grievance.

The workers’ holiday pay was based on a 39-hour working week. However, they often worked around 55 hours because they were compelled to work overtime on Saturdays.

Unite regional officer Mark Soave, said: ‘This is a fantastic result with significant sums of money for the workers at Byrne Brothers. Even though they were entitled to more money, management tried to avoid the payments. After a hard fought campaign Byrne Bros eventually realised the strength of feeling amongst the workers and agreed to the pay-outs worth hundreds of thousands.’

Last year, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that regular payments for voluntary overtime had to be taken into account when calculating holiday pay.