Can my employer make me take annual leave over the shutdown?

Under the Holidays Act 2003, an employer can require you to take annual holidays over a closedown period of up to 14 days, provided that they give you at least 14 days' written notice, and the closedown is genuinely part of the business's operation. If you do not have enough accrued annual leave to cover the closedown, the Act has specific rules about how the remaining days are treated and paid, so ask your employer to explain in writing how your remaining days will be dealt with. Check your employment agreement and any closedown provisions, and if the employer has not given the correct notice you could challenge the requirement. You cannot lose entitlements that have accrued, and you should be paid correctly for public holidays that fall in the period.