Kali declares holiday period

The PUBLIC Service will close for the festive season on Dec 22, Personnel Management Secretary John Kali, pictured, says.
Kali in a circular said this applied to all public servants in departments, provincial administrations and offices of the national public service, and department heads and provincial administrators.
“The shutdown starts after lunch on Friday, Dec 22, 2017 and ends on January 2, 2018.
“The heads of other state services and statutory authorities are to take note of the holiday arrangements in the public service described and to determine the applicability of these arrangements in their own organisations, provided that essential and emergency services are maintained for the government and the public at all times.
“All public servants are to return to work on Tuesday January 2, 2018,” Kali said.
He said Christmas Day, Dec 25 and Boxing Day, Dec 26, were public holidays.
Kali the three paid days were Wednesday, Dec 27, Thursday, Dec 28 and Friday, Dec 29.
“They are not leave days and are not to be accrued if not taken.
They are for the convenience of closing the government offices,” he said.
Kali said officers who are required to work to cater for essential and emergency services and rostered work arrangements would not be paid overtime, but awarded with a paid day off at a future date.
He said the National Executive Council has directed that public hospitals, the police force, the correctional service, the defence force, public utilities, and other organisations providing essential and emergency services would not be shut down and would make their own internal arrangements to cater for essential and emergency services during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
Kali said the Department of Finance and Immigration and Citizenship Services Authority would continue to work normally under the arrangements described in the circular.