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Federally-funded employees on 64 hours while on shutdown
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Posted on Apr 16 2020
“As long as we’re in shutdown, everybody is on 64 hours.”
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres made it clear in an interview yesterday that all government employees, including those federally-funded, will be credited 64 hours, as long as the shutdown is in place.
On March 15, the governor ordered the closure of all government offices and all non-essential government functions, as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 threat in the CNMI, immediately following the report of positive coronavirus cases in Guam.
Torres extended the government shutdown on March 27, which was again extended last night for another 30 days.
Once the disaster declaration is lifted, federally-funded employees will resume their 80-hour work schedule, he said. “For the most part, when I lift the austerity measure or the disaster declaration, those federally-funded will be back to 80 hours.”
Prior to the shutdown, discussions on exempting federally-funded employees from austerity were in place, with the administration looking into the possibility of getting federal programs to absorb some locally-funded employees.
Some federal programs also offered to advance payments of salaries and expenditures, in an effort to help alleviate the effects of the COVID-19 crisis in the CNMI.
