Annual Leave and Public Holidays

All employees, full-time, part-time, temporary or casual earn annual leave entitlements from the time they start work. Most employees are entitled to four weeks’ paid annual leave per leave year.

Your employer determines the timing of your annual leave, taking into consideration work and personal requirements and should consult you or your union in advance. Pay for the leave must be given in advance and calculated at the normal weekly rate.

Public Holidays

There are nine public holidays each year:

1. New Year’s Day
2. St. Patrick’s Day
3. Easter Monday
4. The first Monday in May
5. The first Monday in June
6. The first Monday in August
7. The last Monday in October
8. Christmas Day
9. St. Stephen’s Day

If the holiday falls on a day on which you normally work, you are entitled to either:

• A paid day off on the holiday
• A paid day off within a month
• An extra day’s pay
• An extra day’s annual leave

If the public holiday falls on a day on which you do not normally work, then you are entitled to one fifth of your normal weekly wage for that day.

If you are asked to work on the public holiday, then you are entitled to either;

• An additional day’s pay
• A paid day off within a month of the day
• An additional day of paid annual leave

Part-time employees qualify for public holiday entitlement provided they have worked at least 40 hours during the five weeks ending on the day before a public holiday.

If an employee worked for at least 40 hours in the 5 weeks before the public holiday and the public holiday falls on a day you normally work he is entitled to a day's pay for the public holiday.

If an employee does not normally work on that particular day he should receive one-fifth of your weekly pay.

Follow the link to the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.

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