In this case, the retailer Boots took a business decision to reduce long-serving workers' double time for Sunday and bank holiday working to time-and-a-half, but the employment tribunal found this to be an unlawful variation of the workers' terms and conditions of employment.
The European Court of Justice has considered whether or not "normal remuneration" during a period of annual leave should include allowances on top of basic pay, in the context of a dispute over how the holiday pay of British Airways pilots who are paid flying allowances as well as basic pay should be calculated.
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has held that a sleep-in payment was not an allowance for the purpose of the national minimum wage. Therefore it should not be excluded from the calculation of the hourly rate paid by the employer.
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has held that an employment tribunal did not have jurisdiction to hear claims against British Airways for non-payment of flying allowances to cabin crew who had not been able to fly because of an airport closure.
In May Gurney Ltd v Adshead and others EAT/0150/06 the Employment Appeal Tribunal holds that the remuneration of employees entitled to a perfomance bonus "does vary with the amount of work done". Accordingly the amount of a week's pay for the purpose of calculating holiday pay will be determined by taking the employees' average pay over the 12 weeks preceding their holiday.
In British Airways plc v Noble and another [2006] IRLR 533 CA, the Court of Appeal has held that a reduction of 4/52 in employees' shift pay, spread evenly throughout the year, is not a breach of the Working Time Regulations 1998.