New Law affecting Retail workers
Anyone operating a retail activity cannot now require an employee to work on Easter Sunday - at all. The Shop Trading Hours Act gives any employee who works at a place where goods are kept or sold or offered for sale as retail, the right to refuse to work on Easter Sunday without reason and without any recourse by an employer.
If you want someone to work Easter Sunday you must give them at least 4 weeks notice and at that time remind them of their right to refuse without any pressure. They have 2 weeks to respond.
And if you in any way try and avoid this requirement you give them a personal grievance.
Note - Easter Sunday is not a Stat holiday, but you now cannot simply roster them on to work, nor insist on their availability - in the Retail sector only.
You do not need to amend your employment agreements - but if you plan to open on Easter Sunday you will need to change your procedures - for assistance with this give us a call.