The SDA has always been at the forefront of protecting and advancing your rights on public holidays.
Over many years of campaigning, the SDA has secured fair pay on public holidays, maintained strong entitlements to voluntary work and won new public holidays.
It’s thanks to advocacy by the SDA that the majority of retail, fast food and warehousing workers have:
- Voluntary working rights on public holidays
- The right to earn public holiday penalty rates usually of 200-250%
- The right to the day off without loss of pay if you’re permanent
Only the SDA and SDA members fight to make sure you have a fair choice on public holidays and other important days.
In 2023, the SDA won Easter Sunday as a permanent public holiday in SA and NT
This landmark change has benefitted every South Australian and Northern Territory worker on Easter Sunday.
It means workers earn public holiday penalty rates on Easter Sunday if they work. It means permanent workers can have Easter Sunday off with pay, meaning many more workers can now spend Easter with their families and friends.
Despite Easter Sunday being one of the most important days of the year, it wasn’t recognised as a public holiday until the SDA pushed for change.
This brought South Australia and the Northern Terrritory into line with the rest of the country in its treatment of Easter Sunday.
Securing world-first public holidays
In 2012, after a hard-fought campaign by the SDA, South Australia became the first place in the world to recognise Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve as public holidays after 7pm.
In 2016, the Northern Territory followed, declaring these days as public holidays after 7pm.
Thanks to the SDA, retail, fast-food and warehouse workers who are work late on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve now have the right to spend these nights with family and friends – or to choose to work after 7pm and receive higher pay.
Previously, they received no recognition or extra money for working unsociable hours on these festive occasions – and now that has all changed.
