- Monday is a public holiday for the Queen's funeral, so many workplaces are closed for the day.
- This means many workers on casual contracts are losing a day of pay.
The UK is bracing itself for the day of Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral. It is an event widely regarded as a profound moment in the life of the nation, and many workplaces are shutting down out of respect for the late monarch who reigned for 70 years.
While there is widespread support for this measure — exemplified by the massive line of people who have waited for hours to pay their respects to the Queen lying in state for five days — some employees on low and insecure incomes are dreading the somber pageant.
The UK is currently facing an energy crisis with bills rocketing, 9.9% inflation, and the pound has dropped to a 37-year low against dollar. Some people on casual contracts are stressed about any loss of any income and complain they've been "forced" to take an unforeseen pay cut because of the Queen's funeral.
Syd, 29, works full-time at a cinema and is losing a day of work on Monday as their workplace in Kent shuts down.
They said this means they've lost £50 ($57), which equates to two weekly food shops for Syd.
"I know that £50 ($57) is not a lot of money for some people, but I'm in a position where the only thing I can do — because I can't work on Monday — is to borrow that money from friends."
"For people in my age group, the Queen does not mean a great deal to us. But now we're being forcibly told we're not allowed to earn money because someone exceedingly wealthy has died at a ripe old age. Then we watch the pomp and ceremony of the Queen lying in state, it's massively out of touch. It's offensive," they told Insider.
In a similar position is Sarah (who asked that her real name not be used). The 22-year-old student from York, who works in tourism, will lose out on £60 ($69) with the unplanned public holiday.
"I'm a full-time Masters' student, so the work I do is essential to survive," she said. Sarah says she's "unbelievably stressed" and feels "cheated" out of her wages.
"I work really hard to try and just survive, especially with the bills going up at the moment. Now, the fact that I can't even go to work and do that because somebody has died, and I don't have a choice in being able to make that money or not, it just feels so wrong."
James is a 38-year-old working on a temporary contract as an IT technician in the northeast of England. He's out of work on Monday and will lose £150 ($171), equal to a month's energy bill.
His work is insecure, and his contract finishes at the end of the month. He told Insider, "I don't have any savings, and I'm worried about rapidly falling into poverty due to the insane cost of living and lack of opportunity."
It feels like we have our priorities all wrong as a country. We've faced a continual stream of crises for as long as I've been in the workforce, and nothing long-term gets done about it. But our leaders can move mountains for something that is so detached from the reality of people's lives. I just find the whole thing quite insulting," he said.
Anand Menon, a professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King's College London, told The New York Times that British people are happy for the taxpayer to spend millions on the state funeral because "it's her" and because it offers the opportunity to host "the biggest diplomatic jamboree ever," but for those at the sharp end of a looming economic disaster it's not so clear cut.