# Christmas Holidays?



## 0141607 (29 Oct 2008)

Hi guys

Does anybody know what way the Christmas holidays are working out this year? As a civil servant we will have to have skeleton staff in on Christmas Eve which I don't mind but I'm trying to get in before the rest of the office and book my days off. As I am the only one in the office not from Dublin I will have a slight advantage!!! Obviously we are off the 25th - 28th but does anybody know if the 29th is a bank holiday? I am planning on booking off the 30th, 31st & January 2nd and am hoping that I won't have to come in the 29th!!!

Thanks


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## aircobra19 (29 Oct 2008)

0141607 said:


> ...Obviously we are off the 25th - 28th but does anybody know if the 29th is a bank holiday? ...


 
No bank holiday according to my diary. I think you mean a privilege day. It probably is as the 27th a saturday. I can see those being dropped in the future.


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## MugsGame (29 Oct 2008)

25th and 26th Dec and 1st Jan are all public holidays. 29th Dec is not a public holiday.

See Public holidays in Ireland.


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## gipimann (29 Oct 2008)

December 27th is usually designated as a priviledge day.   As it falls at the weekend, the priviledge day for 2008 will be Monday 29th Dec.

Working days (or days where annual leave are required if you want time off) are Tue 30th & Wed 31st Dec and Fri 2nd Jan.


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## aircobra19 (29 Oct 2008)

You be better asking your HR they'd know better. 



0141607 said:


> ...As a civil servant we will have to have skeleton staff in on Christmas Eve ...


 
Same here even though hardly anyone will be in, and we'll have a tiny fraction of callers to our public office. Waste of money keeping the office open IMO. We start doing our end of year house keeping. But even that doesn't take long.


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## 0141607 (29 Oct 2008)

aircobra19 said:


> No bank holiday according to my diary. I think you mean a privilege day. It probably is as the 27th a saturday. I can see those being dropped in the future.


 
Nope not a privilage day. According to my union calendar it has the 27th marked as a bank/public holiday so that's why I was wondering if it might fall on the 29th instead.

According to the pdf attached to this link the 29th is a bank holiday


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## QED (29 Oct 2008)

What is a 'Privilage Day'? Do public sector workers get these days in addition to annual leave? (I'm not trying to start the usual public Vs private row)


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## aircobra19 (29 Oct 2008)

0141607 said:


> Nope not a privilage day. According to my union calendar it has the 27th marked as a bank/public holiday so that's why I was wondering if it might fall on the 29th instead.
> 
> According to the pdf attached to this link the 29th is a bank holiday


 
Don't believe everything you read. the 29th is the privilege day not a bank holiday. You might want to tell them that.


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## aircobra19 (29 Oct 2008)

QED said:


> What is a 'Privilage Day'? Do public sector workers get these days in addition to annual leave? (I'm not trying to start the usual public Vs private row)


 
Yes. Used to be for travel. Dunno the exact history of it. I guess from the early days when they were all from the country and all had to travel back to Dublin. Bit out dated now.


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## TarfHead (29 Oct 2008)

For bank officials, there are only ever 2 working days between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. I'm never clear if they work out as public or bank holidays. I guess Mon 29 Dec is a Bank Holiday, and not a Public Holiday.


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## SlurrySlump (29 Oct 2008)

0141607 said:


> Hi guys
> 
> As I am the only one in the office not from Dublin
> 
> Thanks


 
I always remember those people from the country grabbing the Christmas and Easter holidays and leaving the Dubs to cover. Maybe next year allow the Dubs have a long Christmas.


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## tallpaul (29 Oct 2008)

TarfHead said:


> For bank officials, there are only ever 2 working days between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.


 
Exactly the same in the Civil Service. 

Privilege Day will be Monday 29 December this year as it falls on the weekend.


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## aircobra19 (29 Oct 2008)

TarfHead said:


> For bank officials, there are only ever 2 working days between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. I'm never clear if they work out as public or bank holidays. I guess Mon 29 Dec is a Bank Holiday, and not a Public Holiday.


 
Its neither.


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## gipimann (29 Oct 2008)

QED said:


> What is a 'Privilage Day'? Do public sector workers get these days in addition to annual leave? (I'm not trying to start the usual public Vs private row)


 
The explanation I was given many years ago (and I'm not sure how accurate it might be!) is that the civil service used to get Good Friday and New Years Day as holidays, before they were designated as public and/or bank holidays.

When the days were re-designated, the priviledge day was granted as a day in lieu.

There is a priviledge day at Christmas, and another at Easter.


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## Sherman (29 Oct 2008)

aircobra19 said:


> Yes. Used to be for travel. Dunno the exact history of it. I guess from the early days when they were all from the country and all had to travel back to Dublin. Bit out dated now.


 
I heard it goes back earlier than that - I read (can't remember where) that it was allowed to civil servants of the British Empire serving abroad from 'the mainland' in order to enable them to travel home for certain holidays. Not sure how true/accurate that is though.


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## csirl (29 Oct 2008)

Sherman said:


> I heard it goes back earlier than that - I read (can't remember where) that it was allowed to civil servants of the British Empire serving abroad from 'the mainland' in order to enable them to travel home for certain holidays. Not sure how true/accurate that is though.


 
When the British ruled Ireland, all civil servants would get the King/Queen's birthday plus the day they do the trooping of the colour off as privilege days granted by the monarch. For obvious reasons, these ceased after 1922 and were replaced with an additional days leave at Christmas and Easter.


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## TarfHead (29 Oct 2008)

aircobra19 said:


> Its neither.


 
If you want to visit a bank branch on Monday 29 December, be prepared to wait, up to a day, for it to open


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## aircobra19 (29 Oct 2008)

Does that make it an official bank holiday for some planning their annual leave?


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## sandrat (29 Oct 2008)

hell my sister still gets off early on a friday to cash her cheque even though she gets paid into her band plus she gets a half day "shopping" day around christmas


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## TarfHead (29 Oct 2008)

aircobra19 said:


> Does that make it an official bank holiday for some planning their annual leave?


 
According to the , it is a Bank Holiday. That means that banks won't be open for business. If you don't work in a bank and don't want to be at work that day, you may have to take it out of your annual leave.

Citizens information states that it is not a public holiday.


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