The Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Minister, Agni Deo Singh is reminding employers who operate during the Easter public holidays to pay workers their public holiday pay.

According to the Employment Relations Act 2007, Singh said that a worker must be paid for each public holiday for the number of hours the worker would have normally worked on that day had it not been a public holiday.

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

“If a worker does not work during the public holiday and has worked the normal working day before and after the public holiday, then the worker is entitled to a single public holiday pay”.

“If a worker is unable to work on the normal working day before and after the public holiday, then they must provide a valid reason or a medical certificate to be entitled to a public holiday pay,” he added.

The Minister further highlighted that both workers and employers must clearly understand the rationale behind the public holiday pay entitlement as per the Employment Relations Act (ERA) 2007 and must contact the nearest Ministry of Employment Office for any clarifications or refer to the relevant amended Wages Regulations and the Employment Relations (National Minimum Wage) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 enforced from 1 April, 2022.