Public Holidays

Public holidays in the province include:

  • New Year's Day,

  • Good Friday,

  • Remembrance Day,

  • Memorial Day,

  • Labour Day, and

  • Christmas Day.

  • The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may also proclaim other days as public holidays.

A collective agreement between employers and employees may establish holidays that are different from those listed above, and those holidays will be considered public holidays.

Employers cannot require employees to work on public holidays. Employers are required to pay their employees for public holidays even if they do not work on that day, and the amount to be paid will be based on the employee's hourly rate and the average number of hours worked in the preceding three weeks.

Holiday on a non-working day

If a public holiday falls on a day when an employee is not scheduled to work, the employer cannot require the employee to work on the first working day following the public holiday. The employee will be entitled to the same pay as they would have received for the public holiday.

Holiday on a working day

An employer and employee may agree that a public holiday will be a working day for the employee. If the employee works on that day, the employer must pay them double their normal wages for that day, or allow them to take an additional day of vacation with the same pay as they would have received for the public holiday.

Exceptions

An exception for certain employers:

  • who are engaged in services that are essential to the public interest, and

  • allow them to require their employees to work on public holidays.

The employee will be entitled to the same pay as they would have received for the public holiday, or they can take an additional day of vacation with the same pay as they would have received for the public holiday.

Employees not entitled

Employees who are:

  • new to their jobs,

  • have resigned, or

  • have been terminated and may not be entitled to public holiday pay.

Furthermore, if an employee fails to show up for work without a valid reason on the day before or after a public holiday, they may not be entitled to public holiday pay either.

NF Labor Standards Act s.15-19