Sen. Ralph DLG Torres, R-Saipan, said this is why he is constantly reminding the House leadership that a lot of government employees may not be able to put food on their table to celebrate Thanksgiving because of the unpaid holidays and the 16-hour cut in their working hours.
Aside from All Saints Day and All Souls Day on Nov. 1 and 2, the CNMI will also celebrate Citizenship Day on Nov. 4, Veterans Day on Nov. 11 and Thanksgiving on Nov. 25.
For these holidays, government employees will not get paid. They will also get no pay for the four Austerity Fridays in November.
There will be a total of nine unpaid days in November.
For each pay period in November, employees will be paid for seven days only.
Torres, who was part of the bicameral conference committee that tried to draft a budget bill acceptable to the Senate and the House, said he urged his House counterparts to agree to a seven, and later, eight unpaid holidays.
Citing budget figures from the administration, the House leadership said 13 unpaid holidays and a 16-hour cut were the only ways to balance the budget.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial on Sunday declared Oct. 11 as a paid holiday in recognition of the financial hardship the week-long shutdown caused many government employees and their families due to the Legislature’s failure to pass the budget bill before Oct. 1.
The governor, according to Press Secretary Angel A. Demapan, exercised his authority pursuant to the newly enacted budget, Public Law 17-21, which allowed him to declare one or more paid holidays for employees.
In an interview yesterday, Demapan admitted that November will be the toughest month of the fiscal year for government employees.
As soon as there is sufficient revenue next month, the administration would be happy to give the government employees another paid holiday, he said.
