Circular 2008-07 provides up to 5 days’ special leave to officers, employees, ministerial employees and members of the Senior and Chief Executive Services in organisations covered by Schedule 1 of the Public Sector Employment and Management Act 2002 for time absent from duty to perform volunteer work with the World Youth Day Co-ordination Authority (WYDCA).

Given the magnitude of the event and the potential impact it will have on the Sydney CBD in particular, I again urge public sector agencies not directly covered by these arrangements to provide similar special leave provisions to allow their employees to volunteer wherever this is operationally possible.

For clarity about the application of the special leave provision where it is granted to an employee:

• weekday workers who work as a volunteer on Saturday 19 or Sunday 20 July are to be granted an alternate day’s special leave for that day
• shift workers whose ordinary rostered hours fall on a weekend day on which they work as volunteer are to be granted special leave for that day
• where an employee’s allocated or rostered day off falls on a day worked as a volunteer, an alternate day’s special leave is to be granted.

Agencies are also reminded to allow staff to take leave and to provide flexible work arrangements during the period of World Youth Day events to reduce congestion in the CBD (Circular 2008-15) and to draw their employees’ attention to the dedicated web page for WYDCA volunteers (Circular 2008-16).

Robyn Kruk
Director General

Issued: Workforce Policy and Advice (Public Sector Workforce Office)
Contact: Nicholas Davison, A/Manager
EMail: [email protected]
Telephone no: 9228 2488 Facsimile: 9228 4056
File no: PSM/09828-001
This circular is an addendum to Circular no’s 2008-07, 2008-15 and 2008-16.