Paying Employees Christmas Stat days

This year Christmas Day and New Year’s Day fall on a Friday with Boxing Day and the Day after New Year’s falling on a Saturday. Public Holidays that fall on a Saturday are Mondayised for those that don’t normally work that day.

To establish how an employee should be paid over this period, first refer to their employment agreement to check that it doesn’t provide any terms in addition to the statutory minimum requirements. Then determine which of those stat days would normally be a working day for them.

Also remember that employees are only entitled to 2 public holidays at Christmas, and 2 public holidays for the New Year – they can’t double dip.

Next the following applies:

Saturday usually a working day:

If the Public Holiday falling on the Saturday is ordinarily a working day but the employee does not work then they are paid for that day as a public holiday at their relevant daily pay. Monday would then be treated as a normal working day for them.

However if they work on that Monday they are paid as a normal work day. If they don’t normally work on the Monday they do not get paid.

If the Public Holiday falling on the Saturday is ordinarily a working day and the employee does work on that day, they are paid time and a half for the hours they work, and they are entitled to an alternative day off (lieu day). Monday would then be treated as a normal working day for them.

Saturday not usually a working day:

If the employee does not ordinarily work on the Public Holiday falling on the Saturday then the public holiday will be treated as falling on the Monday following and will be paid at their relevant daily pay.

If they do work on that Monday they are entitled to be paid time and a half for the hours they work, and they get to have an alternative day off (lieu day).

Note that for the 2015/2016 Christmas New Year the Sunday is not classed as a public holiday.