The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPER) has issued a circular bringing clarity to annual leave issues in the Civil Service.

A recent Circular sets out some reforms to the annual leave system, including:

• Clear guidance around leave carry-forward
• Clear guidance on the calculation of annual leave for full and part time workers
• Definitions on the boundaries between sick leave and annual leave
• Guidance on the accrual of annual leave for workers on extended sick leave
• Introduction of ‘anticipated’ annual leave allowing a worker to apply to take up to two days of next year’s leave in advance to deal with unanticipated needs.

The Circular, while applicable to annual leave, does not extend to leave accrued as time off in lieu (TOIL). This continues to be governed by the overtime arrangements in the civil service.

Fórsa official Seán Carabini said that a revision of the 2003 Circular has been needed for some time.

“This new circular brings clarity to a number of important areas, including for example how sick leave accrues when a worker is on long term sick leave. Additionally, the formalisation of the ‘Anticipation of Annual Leave’ in section 8 of the Circular, allowing someone who has exhausted their annual leave to apply to ‘borrow up to two days from next year’s allowance is a good thing, and a good win for unions,” he said.