Bosses must ask staff before rostering to work public holidays: court

Employers must ask workers if they want to work public holidays and cannot just automatically roster them on, according to a landmark court ruling that will apply to all workplaces regardless of what is in contracts or agreements.

In a judgment delivered just days before the Easter holidays, a full bench of the Federal Court held that BHP’s internal labour hire outfit, Operations Services, breached the Fair Work Act by requiring miners to work on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.