As a result of changes to the ACT Holiday Act 1958, private sector workers are guaranteed fair public holiday entitlements. The ACT Government has ensured that 25 December, 26 December and 1 January are official public holidays when they occur on weekends, in addition to the public holidays on the following Monday and Tuesday where applicable. The legislation will also ensure that workers have the right to refuse working these hours without compromising their job security.
“Canberra’s unions thank Simon Corbell for ensuring our workers get paid a fair rate for working unsociable hours. We congratulate the ACT Government for recognising that workers deserve fair compensation for working Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Years Day,” Ms Sattler said.
“One of the great things about Canberra is its abundance of things to do on public holidays. This is because people give up their time to work. When workers are not guaranteed fair rates for public holidays, it prevents our local economy from thriving, and winds back the clock to days when services were closed on weekends. Workers in NSW have had this legislation for some time. This will mean the same conditions for ACT retail workers.”
“When you work unsociable hours, and miss out on time with your loved ones, you deserve to be fairly compensated.”
These changes will help to ensure low income earners have a good standard of living.
“Public holiday, weekend and after hours rates are a core part of many workers’ pay. Without these, it can become difficult to pay the bills and make ends meet. Our community has an obligation to ensure that these workers have decent conditions for their honest work.”
Kim Sattler
UnionsACT Secretary
