A public holiday to celebrate Scotland’s return to the World Cup

The public holiday will serve as a public holiday for the Scotland national team, which is participating in the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Scotland will face Haiti in Boston at 02:00 GMT on Sunday 14 June, before facing Morocco and Brazil in the remaining group matches in the United States.

First Minister John Swinney has proposed that June 15 should be made a national bank holiday – although the move would only affect staff directly employed by the Scottish Government.

As with the St Andrews Day bank holiday, other employers will not have to adhere to it.

The proposal will be officially confirmed once the King approves it.

Speaking at an event in Glasgow, Swinney said: “The whole nation will be at a standstill in June – and even more so in July once we bid farewell to Brazil and advance to the knockout stages.

“This is a moment that has been waiting for 28 years, and I want as many people as possible to share this occasion.”

He added: “It will mean that fans across the country can watch our men’s team in their first World Cup match in almost 30 years, share in the opportunity for Scotland’s presence on the world stage, attract business development, create interest in tourism and hospitality within the country, and forge deep and lasting cultural and sporting links.”

Scotland is able to set public holidays distinct from the rest of the United Kingdom.

A public holiday can be designated in Scotland by Royal Proclamation.

The First Minister can advise the Privy Council – an advisory council to the King – on declarations for Scotland, which are formally signed by the King.

Scotland faces Morocco in Boston on June 19, and Brazil in Miami on June 24. The two matches will start at 23:00 GMT.

Sweeney had previously said that the government would work with local authorities to extend pub opening hours during the World Cup.

The Scottish Government simply does not have the ability to give people across the country – including those who work in the private sector or in parts of the public sector controlled by the UK government – ​​a specified extra day off from work.

But the extra holiday could be a practical response to the situation some businesses may face the morning after Scotland’s opening World Cup match. How many people would want to stay up late and then take a day off?

Decisions about whether or not to give employees a day off are something that must be made by individual employers.

In general, employers are not required to grant public or statutory holidays as paid leave.

An employer can choose to include public holidays as part of an employee’s statutory annual leave.

Employment contracts tend to specify that employers have a certain number of holiday days each year – including bank holidays.

There is no reason why private companies should be closed. There are no restrictions on working hours on public holidays.

Even the big high street Scottish banks don’t close on public holidays in Scotland now – they celebrate English public holidays, to stay in line with their sister businesses south of the border.

Next year’s school holidays have already been decided by individual councils. Some may consider whether to consider giving the special bank holiday a day off, but there are also rules on how many days schools must be open to be considered.