The Commissioner General of Essential Services, Prabath Chandrakeerthi, addressing a special press conference at the Department of Government Information, stated that the government has decided to grant every Wednesday as a holiday for public sector employees starting from this Wednesday (18) in view of the prevailing fuel supply crisis.

The Commissioner General further stated that heads of state institutions have been given full authority to decide on the number of employees required to report for work during the remaining four working days of the week. He also noted that this day has been designated as a holiday for schools, universities, and the judicial sector as well. However, this holiday will not apply to essential services such as health, ports, water, and customs. Furthermore, the Commissioner General added that a request has been made to the Chamber of Commerce and the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon to implement this decision within the private sector as well.