Controversies Surrounding the PRB 2026 Report - Sunday Allowance: A Revision of Rs 1 Billion

The decision was made in the Cabinet meeting on Friday: the Sunday allowance for civil servants working shifts or on a roster will be reinstated but at a revised rate. However, union reactions are rather mixed.

On Friday, the Cabinet endorsed the recommendation from the Standing High-Powered Committee, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service. Moving forward, civil servants working on Sundays will be entitled to an additional paid day. In making this decision, the government relied on several observations made by this committee. According to the PRB, Sunday has always been regarded as a normal working day for those on shifts/rosters. This view, according to the Cabinet, is supported by Articles 30(1) and 30(2) of the Workers’ Rights Act, which distinguishes between Sundays and public holidays in terms of remuneration.

The government also highlighted in its statement that agents working shifts or on a roster traditionally receive higher pay scales than those on normal hours, specifically to compensate for the potential requirement to work on Sundays. This reality is included in the PRB 2026 report. Additionally, for the concerned agents, there are other compensations, such as the Night Duty Allowance for those required to work at night.

Furthermore, the Cabinet believes that the decision made by the previous government in 2024—which granted one day's normal pay plus two additional days for Sunday work—"lacked a legal basis for implementation." A total of 40,577 civil servants across 337 grades are affected by the current measure, with the annual cost of reinstating the Sunday allowance, in its revised form, estimated at around Rs 1 billion.

In contrast, the framework applicable to public holidays remains unchanged: agents on shifts or rosters will continue to receive one day's normal pay plus two additional days when they work on a public holiday.

Between Relief and Criticism

In the union sphere, reactions range from cautious relief to substantive criticism. Haniff Peerun, President of the Mauritius Labour Congress, welcomes the partial reversal: "After many representations, we see that the government is restoring the Sunday Allowance. We must respect acquired rights and not politicize this issue. These rights should actually be consolidated rather than removed. When they took away the Sunday Allowance, it impacted absenteeism, which affected service. In the future, discussions with unions should take place before making such significant decisions as removing the Sunday Allowance."

However, for Radakrishna Sadien, a union negotiator for the State and Other Employees Federation, the situation is still lacking: "They haven’t reinstated it as it was in 2024. It’s not quite the same, as it was two additional days of pay, and now it’s just one additional day for Sunday work."

Beyond just the Sunday issue, some stakeholders are questioning the overall coherence of the PRB 2026 report. Suttyhudeo Tengur mentions a "credibility crisis" of the report and advocates for "the need for an independent salary commissioner."

He states, "The recent Cabinet decision to reinstate the Sunday allowance, following public outcry and critical stances even from members of the ruling party, confirms what civil servants—and particularly primary educators—have denounced from the start: the PRB 2026 report has collapsed under the weight of its own inconsistencies." He adds that the partial implementation and selective reinstatement of allowances "under political pressure" create "the image of a report dismantled article by article, and not applied."

Areas of Uncertainty

From the police side, Sergeant Ajeet Fokeer, Vice-President of the Police Fighters Union, takes a more measured stance: "We insisted on two additional days, but the fact that we receive one additional day is satisfactory. However, he points out some grey areas in the practical application: "According to the PRB, when a civil servant works less than one hour, they are not paid additionally. If they work between one and four hours, they receive half pay; from four to eight hours, full pay; and over eight hours, two additional days. If we understand correctly, one must work eight hours to receive a full day. However, according to the police's Standing Orders, the shift starts at 11:15 PM on Saturday and ends at 7:15 AM. Therefore, 45 minutes are missing to reach eight hours. Practically, a police officer can finish much later, while this additional time is not calculated. It would have been good to find a way to pay this time on a pro-rata basis."

He also considers the reference to the Workers’ Rights Act debatable: "This law specifies that it does not apply to civil servants, except for a few very specific paragraphs. We should have referred to the Public Holidays Act, which states that every Sunday is a public holiday." Nevertheless, he concludes: "I congratulate the government for making a decision before the deadline for signing the Option Form."

What the Cabinet Decided

• Reinstatement of the Sunday Allowance for agents working shifts/rosters.
• Amount: equivalent to one additional day's salary, in addition to normal pay.
• 40,577 civil servants, across 337 grades, are affected.
• Estimated cost: around Rs 1 billion per year.
• The public holiday policy remains unchanged: one day's normal pay + two additional days for work done on a public holiday.
• The Cabinet believes that the formula introduced in 2024 (one normal day + two additional days on Sundays) lacked a legal basis.