Persons who work this Easter must still be paid 'holiday wage', employers told
Employers are being reminded that their essential service workers who are assigned to work during the Easter holidays must still “be paid in the prescribed manner”, as outlined in the territory’s Labour Code.
A media release from the Department of Labour & Workforce Development said this year’s Easter holidays - Good Friday (April 10) and Easter Monday (April 13) - are still being observed despite the territory still being under 24-hour lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Labour Department said persons working on these holidays must, therefore, be paid in accordance with Sections 53 and 54 of the Labour Code.
Section 54 of the Code states that, in addition to being paid their basic wage, an employee who is made to work on a holiday is entitled to “a basic hourly rate of at least one and one-half times his or her basic wage for each hour worked on that day”.
And where an employee does not work for his/her employer on a public holiday, Section 53 of the said law states that he or she shall not suffer a loss of pay.
“That is to say, he/she shall be paid the basic wage he or she would have received for the work performed on that day, had it not been a public holiday, provided that:
(a) he or she worked on his or her scheduled workday immediately before and his or her scheduled workday immediately after the said public holiday; and
(b) the public holiday was not one of his or her scheduled workdays.”
The Labour Department said persons working on these holidays must, therefore, be paid in accordance with Sections 53 and 54 of the Labour Code.
Section 54 of the Code states that, in addition to being paid their basic wage, an employee who is made to work on a holiday is entitled to “a basic hourly rate of at least one and one-half times his or her basic wage for each hour worked on that day”.
And where an employee does not work for his/her employer on a public holiday, Section 53 of the said law states that he or she shall not suffer a loss of pay.
“That is to say, he/she shall be paid the basic wage he or she would have received for the work performed on that day, had it not been a public holiday, provided that:
(a) he or she worked on his or her scheduled workday immediately before and his or her scheduled workday immediately after the said public holiday; and
(b) the public holiday was not one of his or her scheduled workdays.”
