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 Restaurant, Tearoom and Catering Workers’ Award, Tuesday 25 December 2018 is the Christmas Day public holiday, Wednesday 26 December 2018 is the Boxing Day public holiday and Tuesday 1 January 2019 is the New Year’s Day public holiday.

Full time employees

Full time employees who would normally be required to work on one or more of the designated public holidays under the award, 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 employee is required to work on one or more of these days, public holiday pay rates will apply.

If any public holiday under the award falls on an employee’s non-working day (referred to as a ‘rostered day off’), the public holiday is observed on the next rostered working day. In this situation the next rostered working day is considered to be a public holiday, while the non-working day is not. If the employee is required to work on the next rostered working day, they are entitled to be paid at public holiday rates of pay.

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

Part time employees

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

If a part time employee would not normally be required to work on a designated public holiday, there are no additional public holiday entitlements.

Casual employees

Casual employees who are required to work on one or more days that are public holidays for the purposes of the award 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 holidays 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.