Government services to members of the public will not be reduced.
This was assured by Fiji’s Attorney-General and Minister for Civil Service Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum while announcing the Civil Servants Work From Home Programme yesterday.
The A-G said that the Government had a broader definition of essential as provided for in the Employment Relations Act.
“Our definition is a lot wider. For example, you can still come to BDM and access the birth certificate services, you can still apply for fishing licenses, you can still go to Town and Country Planning, etc. All those services will be available to members of the public,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.
The A-G said there were civil servants who were involved with writing up policies and other documents that should be able to and could work from home.
However, he added that permanent secretaries would document with their staff the duration of the Work From Home Programme arrangement.
These included hours worked, the key responsibilities and outputs, technology and equipment, accessibility and contact during the normal working hours and ensuring that the various codes of conduct were met.
The Work From Home Programme is a measure that will be put in place by the Government in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
