The Election Commission has issued a reminder to employers, urging them to provide sufficient leave for public and private sector employees to vote in the upcoming General Election. Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake, stressed that employers are legally obligated to grant leave to employees under Article 122 of the Parliamentary Elections Act No. 1 of 1981.

In a statement released on November 2, the Commission noted that employees must be allowed time off to vote without any salary deductions or reductions to their personal leave. The guidelines require employers to approve written requests for leave to vote and specify that this leave is to be considered a special holiday with pay.

For state sector employees, the minimum leave duration is 4 hours, and this should not be deducted from regular leave balances. The actual leave granted will depend on the distance between the employee's workplace and their assigned polling station.

The Commission also advised employers to post notices at the workplace outlining the voting leave policy to ensure transparency and compliance.