If your business operates Monday to Friday, you may not be aware of this little Holidays Act quirk (yep, we know there are many), but if you’re a Sunday operator – we’re guessing you’re across it.
For businesses who normally operate on a Sunday, the day is classed as a “restricted trading day” which means most businesses must be closed (kind of like Christmas Day). BUT it’s not classed as a public holiday (say, WHAT). So, do staff get paid if their workplace is closed?
It’s a grey area for most employers where they will need to decide whether to pay people or not. Some employers treat Easter Sunday like an “annual closedown” and give employees notice that the business will be closed. In that case, employees can choose to use annual leave on that day. But if your business is planning a closedown for Easter and another for Christmas… your plans will need to change! Businesses can only have one ‘official’ closedown period per year.
To keep it simple, some employers instead choose to pay everyone for their normal working hours. Ultimately, employers have to rely on what’s written in their employment agreements as what your employees get paid for the day would depend on the terms and conditions of their employment. On the flip side, if the employer wants the employee to work Easter Sunday, they must follow a specific process each year and come to a mutual agreement.
