I was not paid for working on a public holiday. What's the law?

What the Law Says

The Employment Act sets out clear rules about pay for work done on public holidays. These rules apply to all employees covered by the Act — including full-time, part-time, and contract workers — unless specifically excluded (e.g., domestic workers or seafarers).

If you work on a public holiday, your employer must pay you at least double your basic rate of pay for the hours worked on that day. Alternatively, you and your employer may agree in writing to substitute the public holiday with another day off — but that replacement day must still be paid at your basic rate.

This right applies regardless of whether the public holiday falls on a day you would normally work. If you’re not required to work on the holiday and don’t, you’re still entitled to your full day’s basic pay — no work needed.

The law does not allow employers to simply pay normal wages or skip payment altogether. Any agreement to waive this entitlement is void unless it meets strict statutory conditions — which do not include unilateral employer decisions.

Statutory Text

An employee who works on a public holiday shall be paid, in respect of the time so worked, wages at the rate of not less than twice his basic rate of pay.

— Employment Act 1968, s. 88 — Payment for work on public holiday

What to Do

Sources