The Ministry of Employment’s compliance team is conducting its investigation and inspections to ensure that workers are paid their rightful dues on time.
Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Jone Usamate has confirmed in a statement that a worker who is employed on any of the gazetted public holidays will be entitled to public holiday pay.
Usamate says the worker must be at work a day before and after the public holiday and if they are unable to do so then they must provide a valid reason or a medical certificate.
The Minister reiterated that the Employment Relations Act states that a worker must be paid in respect of each public holiday for the number of hours which the worker would normally have worked on that day had it not been a public holiday.
Usamate said if a worker does not come to work on Diwali, then they will be paid public holiday pay, but on a single rate but if a worker is employed during Diwali, then the worker is entitled to double pay.
Any employer that fails to remunerate their workers accordingly will be guilty of an offence and will be on conviction liable to a fine for an individual not exceeding $10,000 or a term of imprisonment not exceeding 2 years or both and for a company or corporation a fine not exceeding $50,000.
