With immediate effect, if a business has an annual 'shutdown' period and a public holiday (such as Christmas) falls on a day that an employee would normally work, the employee is entitled to be paid for the public holiday even though it occurs when the business is closed.
As of April 2011:
- employees will be able to exchange up to one week of annual holiday for cash provided their employer agrees to the request,
- employees will be able to transfer the observance of a public holiday to another predetermined working day with the employer's consent,
- for employees that have irregular hours and/or pay, the payment for sick leave, bereavement leave, public holidays and alternative holidays will be based on the average gross earnings for the previous 52 weeks or whatever lesser period the employee has been employed,
- employers will be able to request proof of sickness within the first three days of an employee being away on sick leave. Employers are to cover reasonable costs, such as doctor's fees, in obtaining such proof.
A guide to the changes will be available at the Department of Labour before April 2011.
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