Orkney Council Staff Excluded from World Cup Holiday
Council staff in Orkney will not be granted an additional public holiday to commemorate Scotland's participation in the World Cup.
First Minister John Swinney had previously advocated for Monday, 15 June, to be declared a national bank holiday.
The proposal received approval from the King; however, the decision to observe the holiday rests with individual employers.
Orkney Islands Council estimated the additional cost of granting the holiday to be between £100,000 and £120,000, with concerns about the impact on services.
Council employees in Aberdeenshire, Moray, and Shetland will also not receive an extra public holiday in recognition of Scotland's World Cup involvement.
Conversely, a special session of Aberdeen City Council's staff governance committee resolved that its staff should be granted the additional holiday.
Scotland's World Cup Participation
Scotland's men's national football team will be competing in the World Cup for the first time since 1998, having qualified after a 4-2 victory over Denmark at Hampden Park.
The national team is scheduled to play its opening match against Haiti on 14 June, with kickoff at 02:00 UK time.
Subsequent group stage matches include games against Morocco on 19 June and Brazil on 24 June, both starting at 23:00.
