Are employees entitled to double pay on Bank Holidays?

The Organisation of Working Time Act (Determination of Pay For Holidays) Regulations (SI 475/1997) governs Bank Holiday pay in Ireland. The Act doesn’t specify that a ‘double pay law’ exists. Instead, if your employee works on a Bank Holiday, they should receive one of the alternative benefits previously mentioned.

Under the Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012, all temporary agency employees must receive equal treatment when it comes to certain conditions of employment, e.g., Bank Holiday entitlements. Irish employment laws provide employees with strong protections, so you should make sure you respect their rights.

Are you entitled to Bank Holiday Pay?

Full-time employees are entitled but it differs for part-time employees. Part-timers only have entitlement when:

– They’ve been employed with the business for at least 40 hours, five weeks preceding the Bank Holiday.

– The public holiday falls on a day they are normally rostered to work.

– If you require an employee to work on a Bank Holiday they’re entitled to have off, you must give them an extra day’s pay.

– If an employee isn’t rostered to work on a Bank Holiday, they’re entitled to one-fifth of their weekly pay as compensation.

What if a bank holiday falls on a weekend?

In the UK, if a bank holiday falls either on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday is usually moved to the next working day off work, Monday. For example, in 2023, January 1st is on a Sunday so, the holiday is moved to January 2nd, Monday.