Employers can include bank holidays against your minimum right to take paid holiday each year.
After union campaigning, the government agreed that it was unfair that mean employers counted bank holidays against the European minimum of 4 weeks' paid holiday.
They closed this loophole by increasing your minimum legal holiday entitlement. In October 2007, a full-time worker gained an extra 4 days' holiday, with another 4 days added in April 2009.
This gives a total holiday entitlement of 4 weeks (to meet the European minimum) plus 8 days (the number of bank holidays enjoyed in most of the UK).
However, there is no legal right to take bank holidays off work as many people (for example in the emergency services) have always had to work on bank holidays. What it does mean is that everyone will get 4 weeks plus either bank holidays or time off in lieu for bank holidays they have to work.
Of course many people get better than the legal minimum, and it is quite common for people to be guaranteed all bank holidays off work in their contracts of employment.
