Shop and warehouse award employees and end of year public holidays

This announcement is for: 
Employee / workerEmployer

If you are working or employing during the end of year period and you fall under the state industrial relations system it is important to understand public holiday entitlements and obligations. This season's public holidays are:

  • Christmas Day, Tuesday 25 December 2018
  • Boxing Day, Wednesday 26 December 2018
  • New Year's Day, Tuesday 1 January 2019.

Under the Shop and Warehouse (Wholesale and Retail Establishments) Award, Tuesday 25 December 2018 is the Christmas Day public holiday, while Wednesday 26 December 2018 is the Boxing Day public holiday. Tuesday 1 January 2019 is the New Year’s Day public holiday.

Full time and part time employees

Full time and part time employees who would normally be required to work on one or more of the designated public holidays, but who are not required to work because it is a public holiday, are entitled to be paid for that day. If a full time or part time employee is required to work on one or more of these days, public holiday pay rates will apply.

The Shop and Warehouse Award provides that when any of the days that are public holidays under the award fall on a day that a full time or part time employee is usually required to work less than one fifth of their ordinary weekly hours of duty, the employee is entitled to time off duty without deduction of pay equivalent to the difference between the time usually worked on that day and one fifth of their ordinary weekly hours.

The Shop and Warehouse Award also provides that when a public holiday falls on an accrued day off (known as a ‘rostered day off’ under the award), an employee is to be compensated in one of the following methods by agreement between the employer and employee:

  • payment of an additional day’s wages;
  • another day shall be allowed with pay within twenty eight days; or
  • have another day added to their annual leave entitlement.

Read examples of these provisions in action, to help you understand how they work in practice.

Casual employees

Casual employees who are required to work on one or more days that are public holidays must be paid at public holiday rates. Casual employees will therefore be entitled to public holiday rates of pay on the following days:

  • Tuesday 25 December 2018
  • Wednesday 26 December 2018
  • Tuesday 1 January 2019.

For more information about employment obligations and entitlements on the upcoming public Shop and warehouse award employees and end of year public holidaysholidays contact Wageline via wageline@dmirs.wa.gov.au or on 1300 655 266.

Please note Wageline will be closed Monday 24 December 2018 to Wednesday 2 January 2019 and reopen on Thursday 3 January 2019.

 

Labour Relations
Department News
30 Nov 2018

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