Statutory holidays are days designated by government(s) to mark or commemorate special occasions or events. Canada has several statutory holidays, some are national, and, through labour standards laws, every province has some designated statutory holidays as well. Employees who meet qualifying requirements are entitled to a paid holiday or, if they are required to work, wages paid at a premium rate for work performed.
The Employment Standards Code names the following days as statutory holidays in Alberta. On the following days all full-time and part-time employees who meet all requirements, are entitled to one day off with pay for the hours that normally would have been worked: New Year's Day, Victoria Day, Thanksgiving Day, Family Day, Canada Day, Remembrance Day, Good Friday, Labour Day, Christmas Day, and Easter Sunday. Easter Monday and Boxing Day are not statutory holidays under the Code. The Code also states: "Employers may choose to recognize additional days as general holidays for their employees.”
If the statutory/general holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, an employee may take the first working day following the holiday or another day, as approved by the library board.
Eligible employees are those who:
have worked for the employer for at least 30 working days or shifts in the year before the general holiday, have worked their last scheduled shift before, and the first scheduled shift after, the holiday (employees will remain eligible if they have the manager's permission to be absent for either or both shifts) and have not refused to work on the general holiday when asked to do so.
The following rules apply to the payment of employees on a general holiday:
Eligible employee- normally scheduled to work on day of the holiday -does not work
The employee is entitled to be paid at least average wages for the day (normally this would be regular wages for the day).
Eligible employee -normally scheduled to work on day of the holiday -works
If employees work an irregular schedule and there is doubt about whether the holiday is a day on which the employee is normally scheduled to work, it is to be resolved as follows:
if during at least five of the last nine weeks, the employee regularly worked on the day of the week that the general holiday falls, the holiday is to be considered a day that would normally have been a workday for the employee.
If there is a general holiday during an employee's annual paid vacation, and it falls on a day that employee would normally have worked, the paid vacation is extended by one day. The employer can also agree to give the employee a different day off with pay before that employee's next annual vacation.
If the named Holiday falls on a Sunday, then the next library working day shall be considered as a named holiday.
Casual employees shall not be compensated for hours not worked because of named holidays.
