• Am I entitled to vacation pay and if so, how much am I entitled to?




You are entitled to vacation pay as follows: For 1 to 4 years of service to the same employer, you are entitled to 2 weeks of pay; for 5 to 9 years, you are entitled to 3 weeks of pay; for 10 and more years, you are entitled to 4 weeks of pay.



• Am I entitled to public holiday pay?




If you have worked on a public holiday, you are entitled to be paid at double time.  If, however, you have not worked on a public holiday, but you have worked the shift before and after the holiday, you are entitled to be paid a straight wage for that holiday.



• Am I entitled to overtime pay and if so, how is it computed?




If you have worked in excess of 9 hours a day, or 45 hours a week, you are entitled to overtime pay. The pay is computed based on time and one half for each hour of overtime work.



• Am I entitled to maternity leave and if so, how much am I entitled to?




You are entitled to up to 12 weeks of maternity leave, with full pay for the first twenty working days (3 weeks), and half pay for the following 20 working days (3 weeks).



• Am I entitled to sick leave and if so, how many days am I entitled to?




You are entitled to sick leave after completing a probationary working period.  The total entitlement is 10 days per year.



• Can I file a complaint for unfair dismissal?




If you believe that you were terminated unfairly, you do have the right to file a complaint for unfair dismissal, providing you are not on probation.




• What are the consequences of unfair dismissal?




If a complaint is taken to a Labour Tribunal and, and it is found that an employee was terminated unfairly, the employee will be awarded compensation.



• What is severance pay and how is it computed?




Severance pay is awarded as an appreciation of an employee's years of service.   The amount to be paid is calculated at a rate of one week's pay (based on the employee's current weekly pay) per year of service, up to a maximum of 12 weeks.



• What is notice pay?




Should an employer desire to terminate an employee, that employer is obligated by law to give notice to the employee.  Similarly, should an employee decide to leave, he or she is obligated by law to give notice to the employer.  After giving notice, the employer then has the option to either allow the employee to work out the notice period, or the employer can pay the employee in lieu of working for the period.  Correspondingly, the employee can either work for the period of notice, or pay the employer in lieu of working.





• How much notice should one be given?




The amount of notice is determined by the time interval between an employee's pay period.  That is to say, for example, if the employee is paid weekly, there should be a week's notice given, or if he or she is paid monthly, there should be a month's notice given.  If the employee is not paid on a set interval, the written notice should as specified in the employee's contract.




• Can monies be deducted from one’s salary and what’s the maximum that can be deducted at any one time?




Only monies authorized by the employee, such as pensions, insurance, and short falls in cash, can be deducted from his or her salary.  The maximum deduction that can be made at any one time is one third of the employee's salary.



• Does an employer have the right to suspend without pay?




An employer can suspend an employee without pay only if the employee has been previously given a written warning.