Publish date: 5 October 2023
Dear colleague,
We are writing to inform you about a national change in the calculation of annual leave pay for bank workers, which will take effect from 1 October 2023. As you may be aware, the payment of annual leave is currently paid in different ways (since the acquisition of North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust), with some bank workers receiving working time directive (WTD) and some accruing leave at a rate of 12.07% for each hour worked on bank. The change is in line with UK employment regulations and aims to ensure fairness and accuracy in how your pay is determined during annual leave.
From 1 October 2023, your annual leave pay will be calculated based on the average earnings over the preceding 52 weeks before your annual leave period (although this could be less than 52 weeks if you have not worked on the bank for this long). This new way of paying annual leave will provide a more comprehensive reflection of your overall income, encompassing any variable elements such as enhancements from shifts that have attracted them, ensuring that your annual leave pay appropriately mirrors your typical income. Furthermore, the decision to adopt this 52 week average is to capture any fluctuations in your earnings throughout the year.
This new process replaces any previous ways of receiving payment for annual leave, as an example WTD payments will not be paid to Mid Mersey bank staff for any bank shifts worked after 30 September 2023.
We recognise that changes of this nature may raise queries, and we therefore ask any questions are directed to our Temporary Staffing team via email to bankannualleave
We are currently developing a process for bank workers to request annual leave in ESR, so that it is processed in line with payroll deadlines and the weekly pay schedule. This process will be shared in time for October implementation.
As a Trust we are pleased to be transitioning to this new process given the positive impact it will have on our bank colleagues pay when on annual leave. This has been made possible due to ESR, the system used for payroll processes, being upgraded supporting the calculations required for this new process.
The Trust has agreed also to review payments made to bank colleagues attached to the wider Mersey Care bank (who have not been receiving WTD in their bank earnings) dating back to October 2019 and to pay any difference in pay between the old process and this new process. This will take time to calculate, and we will therefore keep you up to date on arrears calculations and potential timeline for this to be paid.
Please see the attached documents for part one and part two of the agreed changes to the terms and conditions.
Please complete the working time directive form (attached) to acknowledge receipt of the new bank workers agreement. This document needs to be sent to bankannualleave
Yours faithfully,
Temporary Staffing