Employers may include bank holidays and public holidays in the minimum entitlement, currently 5.6 weeks as of April 1 2009.
However, many employers add statutory holidays to the minimum. You should consult your contract of employment to establish the exact position.
The government has closed the loophole that allowed mean employers to count bank holidays against the 4 weeks' minimum provided by Europe. But it has done this by increasing the minimum entitlement (in 2 stages) rather than by providing a new right to take bank holidays off work.
There is no right to take bank holidays off work, unless it is promised in your contract of employment.
