The Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Youth and Sports Parveen Kumar Bala has clarified that a worker who is employed on any of the gazetted public holidays will be entitled for public holiday pay.

 The Minister highlighted that Section 67 of the Employment Relations Act (ERA) 2007 states that a worker must be paid in respect of each public holiday for the number of hours which the worker would normally have worked on that day had it not been a public holiday.

 “If a worker is employed this Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday, then the worker is entitled to double pay.”

 Mr Bala said if a worker does not come to work on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday, then they will be paid public holiday pay, but on a  single rate.

 “The worker must be at work a day before and after the public holiday and if they are unable to do so, then they must provide a valid reason or a medical certificate,” Minister Bala said.

 The Honourable Minister for Employment appealed to all employers who will be operating during these public holidays to remunerate their workers accordingly.