Easter Tuesday

majorhoundii · Post by **majorhoundii** » Sun 13 May, 2012 5:34 pm

This institution which seemed exclusive to the West Riding and the Black Country seems to be dying out. When I started work in Morley in the sixties, it was taken as read that we worked Good Friday and had the Tuesday off. Then in the eighties there was discussion - which shall we have, Friday or Monday? I worked at a national company and our two northern satelite branches at Newcastle and Wigan wanted Friday and Monday, and us as the hub to comply with them, but when we got an extra day and wanted to take it on "Whit Tuesday" - they wanted to have New Years day. (before it was a Bank Holiday) Compromise - skeleton staff in on both Easter Tuesday and New Years Day. Now I think it's accepted that we have Friday and Monday at Easter. Funny how things change.

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sun 13 May, 2012 6:32 pm

majorhoundii wrote: This institution which seemed exclusive to the West Riding and the Black Country seems to be dying out. When I started work in Morley in the sixties, it was taken as read that we worked Good Friday and had the Tuesday off. Then in the eighties there was discussion - which shall we have, Friday or Monday? I worked at a national company and our two northern satelite branches at Newcastle and Wigan wanted Friday and Monday, and us as the hub to comply with them, but when we got an extra day and wanted to take it on "Whit Tuesday" - they wanted to have New Years day. (before it was a Bank Holiday) Compromise - skeleton staff in on both Easter Tuesday and New Years Day. Now I think it's accepted that we have Friday and Monday at Easter. Funny how things change. Certainly up to the mid-90's when I worked in the motor trade we operated with half the staff in on each day and were offered a choice of taking either Good Friday or "Easter" Tuesday off.Personally I always used to take the Tuesday off - most people assumed we'd be closed on Good Friday, so we had a nice steady day and I worked Saturday mornings so I'd have had to come in then anyway. So I got a nice three and a half day break and whoever was in on the Tuesday had to deal with a busier than normal day (as we'd been closed over Easter) with only half the staff in. Doesn't it date back to the days of the mills, when it was a problem to shut the steam boilers down for a day on Good Friday and then fire them back up for Saturday working, so workers were given the Tuesday off instead?

Post by **chameleon** » Sun 13 May, 2012 9:48 pm

Alot of discussion on this in an old thread somewhere....