Changes to the Working Time Regulations removed the qualifying period to receive entitlement to paid annual leave.

The improvements are after a European Court legal challenge to the original regulations by BECTU, the entertainment technicians trade union.
Amendments to the bill will give workers the right to accrue paid annual leave from the first day of employment and a corresponding right to compensation for any untaken leave on termination of employment.
The previous regulations had limited annual leave entitlement to workers who had been continuously employed for thirteen weeks.
This provision has now been revoked and all workers are entitled to annual leave from day one of employment.
   
But ... 
    
All that glistens ...
A New regulation has been inserted.
   
This new regulation limits the extent to which a worker is able to exercise her/his entitlement to leave during the first year of employment.
The amount of leave a worker may take at any time is limited to the amount that has been accrued at the time of the proposed holiday.
Accrual is at the rate of one twelfth of the agreed annual entitlement at the beginning of each month.
   
   
   

The amended regulations are now in force (January 2002)