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Monday, 16 March 2020

Pandemic Leave in Trinidad & Tobago


Q:
Do I have to pay my employees whilst they are on ‘Pandemic Leave’?
A:
According to the Chief Personnel Officer, Commander (Ret’d) Daryl Dindial, ‘Pandemic Leave’ only applies to government workers who are (1) parents with no supervision for their children, and; (2) employees who do not benefit from sick leave as part of their employment, in the event, they fall ill, have to be quarantined or eventually are confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus (CoViD-19). 

‘Government workers’ in this instance refers to:
1.     Public Officers – Permanent, temporary, monthly-paid and daily-rated
2.     Fixed Term Contract Employees
3.     Short Term Contract Employees
4.     On the Job Trainees (OJTs)
5.     Office Holders within the purview of the Salaries Review Commission (SRC) (whose Office falls in the Public Service such as Top Managers, Judiciary and Legal Services)

Because you’re asking, I will assume that you are a private sector employer, thus you are not legally obligated to pay your employees for “pandemic leave”… however, if you can pay even a portion of their wages or salaries to assist them during what will be a period of certain economic hardship, please do.



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