RICO’s DIGEST – It can be said, in Costa Rica, better than winning the lottery is having a government job.
A case in point is the government’s decision to grant public employees the entire Semana Santa (Holy Week) – nine days – a paid vacation.
In reality, though, only two of those days are extra paid vacation. Let me explain.
Semana Santa this year starts on Sunday, April 10, and ends on Saturday, April 16.
- Saturday, April 9. Being a Saturday, government offices are closed and workers get the day off.
- Sunday, April 10. Being a Sunday, government offices are closed and workers get the day off.
- Monday, April 11. A national holiday, Juan Santamaria day, the day that commemorates the drummer in the Costa Rican army, officially recognized as the national hero. Government offices are closed and workers get the day off.
- Thursday, April 14. ‘Good Thursday’. Government offices are closed and workers get the day off.
- Friday, April 15. ‘Good Friday’. Government offices are closed and workers get the day off.
- Saturday, April 16. On Saturdays, Government offices are closed and workers get the day off.
- Sunday, April 17. Another Sunday. Government offices are closed and workers get the day off.
That leaves only two working days in the week, Tuesday, April 12, and Wednesday, April 13.
Since it has been proven (I have no data to back this up) that many government employees will either call in sick or use up accrued vacation time and those that do show up for work, best is to stay clear of them. Again, no data to back this up, only my opinion.
When referring to government offices, this applies to all employees of the Central Government and bodies attached to the Ministries, as well as autonomous, semi-autonomous institutions and public companies of the State.
For these employees, their work week ends on Friday, April 8, and restarts on Monday, April 18.
Government employees that provide emergency services, such as police forces, the Attorney General’s Office, as well as services necessary to care for the national emergency by Covid-19, maintain their operation and will define the vacations in their respective institutions.
As well, employees of Municipal Governments will have similar paid time off for the holidays, but the exact dates other than April 11, 14, and 15, will depend on each local government.
