The Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government has announced the immediate suspension of approving local and foreign no-pay leave (unpaid leave) for all public sector officials.

According to Ministry Secretary S. Aloka Bandara, the decision was made based on a Cabinet resolution adopted at the meeting held on November 24, and has been formally communicated through a new circular.

The circular instructs all Ministry Secretaries, Provincial Chief Secretaries, and Heads of Departments to halt the acceptance of new leave applications and requests for leave extensions with immediate effect.

A previous Public Administration Circular, effective from June 22, 2022, had allowed public officers to obtain domestic or foreign unpaid leave for a maximum of five years, without affecting their seniority or pension benefits.

However, following the latest Cabinet decision, the approval of domestic and foreign unpaid leave under the provisions of the 2022 circular has now been suspended with immediate effect. Officers currently on domestic or foreign unpaid leave may continue only for the period that has already been approved.

The Ministry further states that officers who have already received approval for leave but have not yet commenced it will be permitted to proceed for the duration previously approved.

Regarding pending foreign unpaid leave applications, the circular notes that applications and extension requests that have already met all required criteria will not be affected. However, any applications with incomplete documentation or unmet requirements will be rejected without reconsideration.

The circular also clearly states that no pending applications for domestic unpaid leave will be approved under the new directive.