Public Holidays over April 2014The three days which are classified as public holidays under the Holidays Act 2003 during April this year are:
- Good Friday – 18 April 2014
- Easter Monday – 21 April 2014 (not Sunday!)
- ANZAC Day – Friday, 25 April 2014
Easter period between 18 April 2014 – 21 April 2014
Good Friday and Easter Monday
ARE public holidays, with Good Friday also subject to restricted trading. If any employees work on any part of these days they will be entitled to the time and a half payment for the time worked on that day. Also, as with any public holiday if the day falls on otherwise a working day for the employee and they work on the day they will be entitled to an alternative holiday, at ordinary rates.
Easter Sunday is
NOT a public holiday. It is a restricted trading day but is not a public holiday in accordance with the Holidays Act 2003.
The Shop Trading Hours legislation limits the ability for certain shops to trade on Easter Sunday; but it does not limit the ability to provide work for employees. Therefore, if a business normally operates on a Sunday and the employer does not require employees to work on Easter Sunday it is recommended the employer considers how the day will be managed and discuss any requirements with their employees. It can either be treated as an unpaid holiday or as an Annual Holiday day.
Public Holidays during an Easter closedownSome Employers may have an annual closedown over the whole Easter break. If so, in accordance with the Holidays Amendment Act 2010, any Employees will be entitled to paid public holidays that fall during the Easter closedown period if they would otherwise be working days for them, as if the closedown was not in effect.
If your business has a regular Christmas closedown then you can’t require any staff which do not have holidays owing to take unpaid leave as an Employer is only allowed one closedown period per annum where that can happen. Just as if a public holiday falls during a period of annual holidays, the employee is entitled to a paid public holiday if it is otherwise a working day for them. Relationship between Easter Sunday and ClosedownsANZAC Day — Friday 25 April 2014ANZAC Day is a public holiday with morning trading restrictions. With Easter and ANZAC Day falling within a week of each other this year Employers may well find many Employees requesting to take annual leave during this time. It is therefore suggest that Employers look at how they are going to manage this, and what impact it may have on their business operations.