Public holidays are the days declared as official holidays in South Africa. Under the BCEA an employee is entitled to a paid day off on a public holiday that falls on a day they would ordinarily work.
What it means
If an employee does not work on a public holiday, they are still paid as if it were a normal working day. If they do work, the BCEA requires premium pay - at least double the normal daily rate, or the normal rate plus the value of the time worked, whichever is greater. Where a public holiday falls on a day off, rules govern any substitution.
Where it fits in
Public holidays affect the pay run when an employee works one, triggering the premium calculation, similar in spirit to overtime. For salaried staff the ordinary paid day is already built into the salary; for waged staff the holiday and any premium must be calculated explicitly.
Key rules
- Statutory paid days off on ordinary working days.
- Working a public holiday attracts premium pay under the BCEA.
- Premium is at least double the normal daily rate where worked.
- Salaried pay already includes the day off; waged pay must add it.
