PUBLIC HOLIDAYS FOR FULL-TIMERS AND PART-TIMERS

AFTER STRONG LOBBYING FROM THE SDA, MEMBERS WILL ENJOY 2 ADDITIONAL PUBLIC HOLIDAYS OVER THE CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR PERIOD.

THE 7 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS FOR THE UPCOMING CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR PERIOD ARE:

• Sat, 24 December 2022, 6pm – midnight
• Sun, 25 December 2022
• Mon, 26 December 2022
• Tue, 27 December 2022
• Sun, 1 January 2023
• Mon, 2 January 2023
• Thu, 26 January 2023

*Brisbane Airport Woolworths will cease trading at 10pm on Christmas Eve.

THANKS TO THE SDA, CHRISTMAS EVE IS A PUBLIC HOLIDAY FROM 6PM TO MIDNIGHT

Wages

The Full-time, Part-time Level 1 hourly rate for Public Holidays (225%)

AGE	HOURLY RATE
20	$53.46
19	$42.80
18	$37.49
17	$32.15
16 & under	$26.83

The Casual Level 1 hourly rate for Public Holidays (250%)

AGE	HOURLY RATE
20	$59.40
19	$47.56
18	$41.65
17	$35.72
16 & under	$29.81

• Working on a public holiday is voluntary. A team member cannot be required to work but may volunteer to work on any public holiday.
• Team members who would normally be rostered to work may volunteer to work on a public holiday (or part of it) and will be paid the relevant penalty rate for any time so worked. All team members are entitled to be absent from work on a day or part-day that is a public holiday in the place where the team member works, and cannot be required to work if they do not volunteer to work.
• If Woolworths trades on a public holiday, Woolworths may communicate to team members that it is seeking volunteers. Woolworths may decline any request to volunteer if there is no operational need for the team member to work on a public holiday.
• Depending on whether a team member works on a public holiday or not, the following entitlements will apply:

	If the team member commences work on the public holiday	If the team member is absent on the public holiday
Full-time or part-time team member whose standard roster would include the public holiday as a working day;	Hours worked are paid at public holiday penalty rates OR team member can request TOIL or an equivalent day of annual leave instead;	Day off is paid at ordinary base rate of pay for the rostered working day as per the team member’s standard roster (without penalty rates or loadings)
Full-time or part-time team member whose standard roster would not include the public holiday as a working day;	Hours worked are paid at public holiday penalty rates OR team member can request TOIL or an equivalent day of annual leave instead;	Unpaid
Casual team member (does not have a standard roster)	Hours worked are paid at public holiday penalty rates	Unpaid

• Woolworths must not change a team member’s standard roster to avoid or reduce a public holiday penalty payment. If this occurs, the member will be entitled to the payment or benefit of the public holiday they would have received but for the roster change.

TIME OFF IN LIEU (TOIL)

a. By mutual agreement between Woolworths and a part-time or full-time team member, instead of receiving penalty rates for working on a public holiday, the member can be compensated for working a particular public holiday by either:
i. An equivalent day or equivalent time off in lieu without loss of pay. The time off must be taken within 28 days of the public holiday occurring or it will be paid out; or
ii. An additional day or equivalent time added to their annual leave balance.
b. The team member and Woolworths are entitled to agree a new choice of payment or time off by agreement on each occasion work is performed on a public holiday. If no agreement can be reached on the method of compensation, the default arrangement shall be the payment of penalty rates.

ENGAGEMENT ACCROSS TWO DAYS

Where a shift falls partly on a public holiday, a shift that commences on the public holiday shall be regarded as the public holiday shift. Please note that a member who is not required to work or who elects not to work on a public holiday shift shall be entitled to be absent without loss of pay.

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S EVE

All Woolworths stores must cease trading by 6pm on Christmas Eve. Because Christmas Eve between 6pm and midnight is a part-day public holiday, all work is voluntary. Please note that if you work the closing shift, and perform work after 6pm, all work after 6pm is paid at the public holiday rate.
a. Work after 6pm on New Year’s Eve will be voluntary provided there are enough volunteers to meet Woolworths operational needs, subject to the following:
i. team members not wanting to work at these times will inform Woolworths at least 4 weeks in advance. At the same time, Woolworths will start to assess the number of team member volunteers that will be required to work; and
ii. if there are not enough volunteers Woolworths will first ask casual team members to work the hours, and will then ask full-time and part-time team members.
b. Where Woolworths is open for trade and a team member takes the benefit of this clause in order to take time off instead of working a normally rostered shift or part of a normally rostered shift after 6pm on New Year’s Eve, the time is unpaid time and the team member will only be paid for hours actually worked. A team member can request to take paid annual leave for the hours not worked.

CASUAL EMPLOYEES
There is a minimum payment of 3 hours for work performed on a public holiday.

QUESTIONS:

1. What happens if a Public Holiday falls in my holidays?
   Don’t worry. This day will not be deducted from your annual leave balance.
2. Do I have to work on a public holiday?
   All work on a public holidayis voluntary for all employees. This includes Christmas Eve between 6pm and midnight.
3. Do roster changes affect my entitlement to public holidays?
   No, one-off roster changes cannot be made to avoid payment of penalties, loadings or other benefits. Should this occur you are still entitled to the benefit.
4. I am a permanent night-filler and I work across 2 days. Which day is my public holiday?
   Your public holiday shift is regarded as the shift which commences on the public holiday.
5. What is the rate of pay after 6pm on Christmas Eve?
   All work performed after 6pm is paid at the public holiday rate as advised above