Changes to general holiday pay

Based on Alberta employment standards and collective agreement changes, we are modifying how we apply general holiday pay.

28 June 2022

Employees at the university observe eleven general holidays; Alberta’s nine general (statutory) holidays: New Year's Day, Alberta Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day and two optional general holidays, Easter Monday and Heritage Day.

Pay for general holidays is applied based on Alberta employment standards and our collective agreements. Our newly ratified collective agreements were updated to reflect current Alberta employment standards, therefore how general holiday pay is applied has also been updated.

Pay is now calculated on all regular/scheduled hours worked, instead of all earnings and will be processed each pay period on all regular hours worked. This means that general holiday pay will be included on paycheques before the holiday, instead of after the holiday has occurred. The rate of pay has also changed for some employee types.

Additionally, general holiday pay eligibility criteria has changed for academic, support and excluded management staff who are part-time, short term or paid hourly.

These changes have been applied by Shared Services — no action is required by employees or their supervisors. In addition, part time salaried support staff will no longer be required to enter code 072 on their timesheets for general holidays.

How General Holiday Pay is Applied by Employee Type

Employee Type	Eligibility, Rate of Pay and Changes.
Regular Support Staff	General holiday pay is included in regular salary. There is no change in rate of pay or eligibility.
Auxiliary Hourly Support Staff	Eligible for the 9 statutory holidays and the two optional holidays. Pay is calculated at a rate of 4.23% on all regular earnings and processed each pay period on all regular hours worked. These employees will see statutory pay code 077 on their paycheques. What has changed? This is a change from a rate of pay of 5% on all earnings in the two pay periods prior to the holiday.
Part Time Salaried Support Staff	If general holiday falls on a scheduled work day, employees receive their regular earnings for that day. What has changed? No longer eligible for general holiday pay when the holiday falls on a non-scheduled work day. Will no longer be required to enter code 072 in their timesheets on these days.
Casual 1 Full Time Students, Casual 1, Casual 2	Eligible for the 9 statutory holidays and will receive 3.46% stat pay which is processed each pay period on all regular hours worked. These employees will see statutory pay code 074 on their paycheques. What has changed? This is a change from a rate of pay of 5% on all earnings in the two pay periods prior to the holiday. These employees are no longer eligible to be paid for the optional general holidays.
Supplement Trades	Receive 10% vacation pay, which is a combination of 4% statutory holiday pay and 6% vacation pay. This is based on their trade agreements. These employees will see the vacation code 720 on their paycheques. What has changed? This is a change from a rate of pay of 5% on all earnings in the two pay periods prior to the holiday.
Faculty, Faculty Service Officer, Librarians, Academic Teaching Staff, Trust/Research Academic Staff, Administrative and Professional Officer, Temporary Librarian, Administrative and Professional Officer	General holiday pay is included in regular salary. There is no change in rate of pay or eligibility.
Academic hourly	Eligible for 9 statutory holidays if holiday is considered a regular day of work according to the 5 of 9 rule. If in the 9 weeks before the holiday, the employee has worked 5 of the same weekdays, then that weekday is considered a regular day of work. E.g. if a holiday falls on a Monday, and the employee has worked 5 Mondays in the last 9 weeks before the holiday, then Monday is considered a regular day of work for them, and the rules for regular days of work apply. Employees receive their regular earnings for that day. What has changed? This is a change from a rate of pay of 5% on all earnings in the month prior to the holiday. These employees are no longer eligible to be paid for the optional general holidays. These employees are no longer eligible to be paid for a statutory holiday unless it follows the 5 of 9 rule.
Management and Professional Staff	General holiday pay is included in regular salary. There is no change in rate of pay or eligibility.
Part Time Salaried Excluded Academic and Management Staff	Eligible for holiday pay only when the holiday falls on a scheduled work day. Pay is included in their regular salary. What has changed? No longer eligible to be paid for a general holiday they were not scheduled to work.
Short Term Academically-Related Employment (STARE)	Eligible for 9 statutory holidays if holiday is considered a regular day of work according to the 5 of 9 rule. If in the 9 weeks before the holiday, the employee has worked 5 of the same weekdays, then that weekday is considered a regular day of work. E.g. if a holiday falls on a Monday, and the employee has worked 5 Mondays in the last 9 weeks before the holiday, then Monday is considered a regular day of work for them, and the rules for regular days of work apply. Employees receive their regular earnings for that day. What has changed? This is a change from a rate of pay of 5% on all earnings in the month prior to the holiday. These employees are no longer eligible to be paid for the optional general holidays. These employees are no longer eligible to be paid for a statutory holiday unless it follows the 5 of 9 rule.
Excluded Students	Eligible for the 9 statutory holidays and will receive 3.46% stat pay which is processed each pay period on all regular hours worked. These employees will see statutory pay code 074 on their paycheques. What has changed? This is a change from a rate of pay of 5% on all earnings in the two pay periods prior to the holiday. These employees are no longer eligible to be paid for the optional general holidays.

Current eligibility for general holiday pay and a list of upcoming paid holidays can be found on Statutory Holidays and Closures.

Contact your HR Service Partner for more information on why these changes have been made.

Visit the Staff Service Centre for more information about how pay is applied.