This guide deals with all the implications of the Holidays Act 2003 and more. It addresses the right to, and payment of, annual holidays, public holidays, sick leave and bereavement leave.

The Act is set out, section by section. Expert commentary is provided on each provision of the Act, relevant case law is discussed and any potential difficulties are identified. Examples are used to illustrate how the Act is applied in practice and sample clauses that can be included in employment agreements are set out when relevant.

The guide also includes:

• a detailed section on the requirements of the parental leave legislation
• a clear description of other types of leave entitlement including study leave, unpaid leave, jury service leave and employment relations leave
• a substantial Q & A section which provides practical answers to employers’ most commonly-asked questions.

Changes covered include:

The fourth edition covers recent changes to both the Holidays Act and the Employment Relations Act, which together have strengthened the enforcement of holiday and leave responsibilities. 

• Stricter record-keeping standards are required to assist employers to provide their employees with their entitlements and to help Labour Inspectors to detect any breaches.
• Harsher sanctions can be levelled at employers who fail to give employees their entitlements.

The commentary on the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act has been substantially revised to reflect the major changes that came into effect on 1 April 2016.

• The period of paid parental leave has been extended to 18 weeks and makes the entitlements more flexible to reflect modern society’s diverse range of parenting options and varied working arrangements. 
• Casual, temporary, fixed-term and seasonal employees may now be eligible for parental leave payments.