No pay leave for public sector employees suspended
The Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government has decided to suspend, with immediate effect, the approval of unpaid local and overseas leave for public sector employees.
Secretary to the Ministry, S. Aloka Bandara, announced the decision through a circular, stating that the move follows a Cabinet decision taken at the meeting held on 24 November.Accordingly, all ministries, provincial chief secretaries and heads of departments have been instructed to immediately stop accepting new applications for no pay leave or requests for extensions.A circular issued on 22 June 2022 allowed public sector employees to obtain local and overseas unpaid leave for a maximum of five years without affecting seniority or pension entitlement.However, based on the latest Cabinet decision, the approval of local and overseas unpaid leave under that circular has now been suspended with immediate effect. It is noted that officials currently on approved local or overseas leave will only be able to continue their leave for the duration already granted.
The circular further states that officials who have already received approval for leave and are awaiting departure may proceed for the period that has been granted.It also notes that new applications and extension requests that have already been submitted for overseas leave, with all necessary requirements fulfilled, will not be affected by the latest circular. Incomplete applications, or those lacking required documentation, will be rejected without further review.
However, the circular confirms that approval will not be granted for any pending applications for local unpaid leave.