Confederation writes to Cabinet Secretary for regularisation of leave in respect of absence during Lockdown period.

 

Ref: Confd/Leave/COVID                                                                 Dated: 25.07.2020

To

The Cabinet Secretary,

Government of India,

Rashtrapati Bhawan

New Delhi

Sub: -   Regularisation of leave in respect of absence during Lockdown period.

Sir,

The following suggestion are submitted for regularization of leave for the absence period of Central Government Employees during lockdown period due to COVID-19:

1.      Regularisation of leave by declaring special casual leave or by declaring the unintended absence from duty as regular duty:

 

A.     For all such staff who were unable to attend office duty during lockdown period.

B.     For all such essential service staffs who were not listed in the duty roaster by their head of   office during the lock down period and couldn’t attend office.

C.     For all such staff who were unable to attend office duty during unlock period for the reason their name has not been included in the duty roaster.

D.     For all such staff who were unable to attend office duty during unlock period for derth of communication facility.

E.     All such absence should invariably be counted as duty.

2.     Reintroduction of quarantine leave for the Central Government employees who are:

 

a)     self-quarantined for co morbidity issue or have come across some COVID infected patients,

b)     whose friends and relatives are Covid 19 infected and are leaving in proximity,

c)     Asymptomatic patients who are self-quarantined.

Further we would like to point out the following:

 

a.     Quarantine Leave, as was, should not be a regular leave and akin to casual leave, it should not be treated as an absence from duty, but a leave necessitated by orders not to attend office consequential to presence of infectious diseases in the family or household of the employee.

b.     Quarantine leave was admissible earlier in cases of cholera, smallpox,
plague, diphtheria, typhus fever and cerebrospinal meningitis. Now the issue of Covid 19 infection has to be included and the Central Government has to be requested to reissue this order with certain corrections.

c.      As in case of casual leave, an employee on quarantine leave should not be treated as absence from duty and his pay and allowances are not to be intermitted.

d.     However, unlike casual leave, Quarantine leave may be combined with any other type of leave except causal leave or special casual leave.

e.     Quarantine Leave of 21 days (+ 9 days) to attend dependent in the family suffering from infectious disease should be allowed.

Sir, it may also not out of context to mention that evidences available from various pay commission reports point toward existence of Quarantine leave till introduction of CCS Leave Rules, 1972 and even today it is existing in departments like OIDB (Oil Industry Development Board) under petroleum ministry. Similar dispensation may also be brought in for all Central Government employees at this situation of Pandemic.

With greetings,

Yours sincerely,

(R. N. Parashar)

Secretary General