The Labour Department, Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector, reminds entities which operate under the provisions of the Shops Act, 2015-30 that Independence Day and Christmas Day are two of the four closed days stipulated by the Act. The other closed days are Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Section 4 of the Shops Act permits the occupier of a shop to apply to the Chief Labour Officer for the grant of a licence to operate on a closed day.
Shops in which ONLY members of the occupier’s family are employed and those listed in the First Schedule to the Act, are exempt from the requirement to apply for a licence to operate on a closed day. Persons may download the First Schedule by clicking here.
A shop assistant who is required to work on a closed day is entitled to be paid twice his or her ordinary rate of pay.
Applications with respect to a licence to operate on Independence Day are to be submitted to the Chief Labour Officer no later than Thursday, November 24, 2022 and with respect to Christmas Day, no later than Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
Persons may click here to download the: Application for Licence to Open Shop for Business on Closed Day.
Occupiers are required to complete and sign the first section of the form and afterwards scan the entire document and send it via email to clo@labour.gov.bb
For further information, persons may contact the Industrial Relations Section of the Labour Department, at: 535-1528; 535-1523; 535-1525.