TO: All Government Agency Heads
FROM: Governor
SUBJECT: Cancellation of Reduction-in-Force process, recall of furloughed employees, and return to 80-hour workweek
DATE: March 19, 2021
On February 9, 2021, Directive 2021-002 was issued wherein my administration initiated reduction-in-force (RIF) procedures for civil service employees. Citing the continued depressed economic state of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of budgetary funding, and the improbability that the economy will revive sufficiently in the next few months so that revenue will increase to the point that the fiscal year budget will be increased and the government will be able to recall furloughed employees, the administration deemed it necessary to initiate the RIF process.
Despite initiating the RIF process, it was always the intention of the administration to cancel the RIF and bring back all furloughed employees if funding became available. The Lt. Governor and I are proud to announce that through the tireless efforts of my administration, the CNMI has been able to secure funding to not only cancel the RIF and recall remaining furloughed employees, but to return all government employees to full 80-hour work weeks.
Through this Directive, all government agencies, excluding autonomous agencies, who have employees undergoing the RIF process or still have furloughed employees, are hereby directed to contact and coordinate with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) or work with their respective personnel offices to end the RIF process and bring back all remaining furloughed employees. All government agencies, excluding autonomous agencies, are further directed to coordinate with OPM, their own human resources administrations, and any other necessary government agencies so as to have all remaining furloughed employees returned to duty starting with the pay-period beginning March 28, 2021. All government agency heads, excluding those of autonomous agencies, are further directed to coordinate with OPM, their own human resources administrations, and any other necessary government agencies so as to return all employees of their respective agencies to full 80-hour work weeks starting with the pay-period beginning March 28, 2021. For clarification, autonomous agencies are positioned to utilize their respective authority to address issues relating to personnel within their agencies.
The Lt. Governor and I thank all of the employees for their sacrifice and understanding over the course of this very difficult year and for working together to see our community safely through this pandemic.
/s/
RALPH DLG. TORRES
Governor
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