New amendment grants 30 days paid annual leave across public sector

AMMAN — The Prime Ministry on Sunday issued the annual leave consolidation amendment for the Civil Service Law, which instates 30 days of annual leave with full pay for all categories of public sector personnel.

The amendment, published in the Official Gazette, requires that departmental interests and work administration be considered when granting annual leave, but not when granting maternal leave or parental leave, sick leave, Hajj leave (the greater Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca) and urgent leave.

The amendment also stipulated the use of a preliminary agenda by public sector departments to regulate the issuance of annual vacations with the aim of guaranteeing work continuity in line with official plans and programmes.

In accordance with the provisions and procedures laid down in the amended legislation, employees are entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave, not to include parental leave, Hajj leave, unpaid leave, sick leave and annual holidays.

“This resolution led to equality regarding staff vacation in the public sector, but it was not accompanied by improvements in the status and rights of private sector employees," Ahmad Awad, director of Phenix Centre for Economic Studies and Informatics Studies, told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

The “lack of substantive improvements” in the status of private sector employees, he added, results in preferring the public sector and a shift away from businesses run by individuals or companies, widening the gap between the two sectors.