This year, Christmas Day and New Yearfs Day fall on a Saturday and Boxing Day and the day after New Yearfs Day fall on a Sunday. These days are prescribed as Public Holidays.
The Holidays Act provides that when these days fall on either a Saturday or Sunday and these days would not otherwise be working days for the employee concerned, the Public Holidays are observed on the following Monday or Tuesday (as the case may be).
That is . when one of these days falls on a Saturday and the day would not otherwise be a working day for that employee, it is observed on the following Monday.
Similarly, for a day that falls on a Sunday, it is then observed on the Tuesday.
When one of these days falls on a Saturday or Sunday and that day is a working day for the employee concerned, the Public Holiday is observed on the actual day.
For Firefighters whether a day is a working day is determined by the Roster.
As well, the Holidays Act makes it clear that no individual employee can double dip . that is ] they cannot have the benefit of working on the actual day (i.e. either the Saturday or the Sunday) and the Mondayized transfer. No individual employee can obtain a benefit for more than 2 days for either the Christmas or the New Year period.
Consequently for this Christmas/New Year . Red Watch will accumulate a benefit for 2 days for both Christmas and the New Year period, as will Brown Watch and Blue Watch and Green Watch 1 day i.e.
Green Watch 1 For the Night of 24th (that runs into the 25th)
Brown Watch 2 For the Day of 25th and the 26th
Red Watch 2 For the Night of 25th and the 26th
Blue Watch 2 For the Day of 27th and the 28th
And the same for the following weekend (with the relevant different dates).
Update on Collective Negotiations between NZPFU and NZFS is available on the Unions Website.
