New reforms to public service leave arrangements are not expected to affect the bulk of staff unless they have more than 32 days off each year or accept promotion in the future.
The Government has essentially opted for a two-tier system of leave across the public service.
For all serving staff, the total level of leave available will range from a minimum of 22 days to a maximum of 32 days per year depending on their grade.
For new staff joining the public service, there will be a minimum of 22 days and a maximum of 30 days off each year.
Existing staff who take promotion will be treated as new entrants for leave purposes. In other words, they will get a maximum of 30 days leave, rather than 32.
The new maximum levels of leave include annual leave as well as traditional privilege days, which are to be incorporated into annual leave. The maximum levels will also include days off given to staff in cases where their organisation closes down such as at Christmas.
Controversial days off given to some staff in the public service to attend local festivals or race meetings are to be abolished.
Staff who currently have more than 32 days leave including annual leave, privilege days, and/or leave associated with business closures or local events, will see this reduced to the new 32-day maximum.
The change will commence when the 2012 leave year commences.
However, staff who lose leave will receive compensation. This will not be monetary compensation. Rather, they will receive a once-off provision of time off which equates to 1.5 times the amount of leave they will lose.
For example, a public service employee who loses two days of leave, will get an additional three days leave, on a once-off basis.
A small number of staff will receive additional leave under the new arrangements.
Those who currently get less than 22 days leave per year will see this increased to the new minimum threshold of 22 days. A small number of service officers in Government departments are expected to benefit from this change.
Talks are to take place locally about the situation involving fire service personnel in Dublin who currently have a basic leave entitlement of 20 days with additional days off based on hours worked.
As “an exceptional measure”, the Government is to allow serving personnel who currently have 22 days leave and who are due to receive an additional day based on level of service to be brought up to 23 days off from the beginning of 2012.
In a letter to trade unions yesterday, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said that for the avoidance of doubt, “it is confirmed that serving staff while they remain in their existing grades will retain the annual leave allowance appropriate to their grade subject to not exceeding the overall ceiling of 32 days”.
The Department also said the reforms did not alter any existing arrangements in place where additional leave was granted to staff while carrying out shift work duties or where time off in lieu systems were in place.