In government service, terms like leave, extraordinary leave, or earned leave are familiar to most employees. But one phrase that often creates confusion is “Dies Non”. It’s a Latin expression meaning “no day” or “not counted as a day.” In simple terms, dies non is a period that is not recognized as duty, leave, or service for any purpose.
What is Dies Non?
- Dies non literally means “day not counted.”
- When a government servant is absent without proper authorization, or is involved in misconduct such as participating in a strike, the authority may declare those days as dies non.
- These days do not count towards salary, leave, or pension benefits.
👉 In other words: You were not on duty, it was not approved leave, and it will not count as service.
Effects of Dies Non
Declaring a period as dies non has several consequences:
- No Salary
- The employee does not receive any pay or allowances for that day (or days).
- No Leave Benefits
- The period is not treated as leave (earned leave, half pay leave, or otherwise).
- It cannot be regularized later as leave.
- Not Counted as Service
- The day(s) will not be added to qualifying service for increments, leave calculation, or pension.
- Impact on Earned Leave Credit and Half Pay Leave
- As per Rule 27(3), if an employee has a period of dies non in a half-year, their next earned leave credit is reduced by 1/10th of the dies non period, subject to a maximum of 15 days.
- If an employee has a dies non period (unauthorised absence or suspension not treated as duty), then the HPL for the next half-year is reduced.
Formula: 1/18 of the dies non period, subject to a maximum of 10 days deduction.
Example:
If dies non = 36 days in Jan–June, then deduction in July = 36 ÷ 18 = 2 days.
So instead of 10 days credit, only 8 days will be credited in July.
Illustrative Examples on Earned Leave
Example 1: Unauthorized Absence
An employee skips work for 5 days without sanctioned leave. The authority declares it dies non.
- Impact: No pay for 5 days, the period not counted as leave, and in the next half-year, earned leave credit will be reduced by ½ day (1/10th of 5).
Example 2: Strike Participation
A group of employees participate in a one-day strike. That day is declared as dies non.
- Impact: No salary for that day, not counted as leave or service, and it slightly reduces leave credit later.
Example 3: 60 Days Extraordinary Leave + 30 Days Dies Non
Suppose an employee takes 60 days extraordinary leave in a half-year, plus 30 days are declared dies non.
- Impact: Total 90 days. Next half-year’s earned leave credit is reduced by 1/10th of 90 = 9 days.
Difference Between Extraordinary Leave and Dies Non
|
Aspect |
Extraordinary Leave (EOL) |
Dies Non |
|
Approval |
Sanctioned leave (officially granted) |
Not sanctioned, imposed by authority |
|
Pay/Allowance |
No salary during EOL |
No salary during dies non |
|
Effect on Service |
Counts for service (except leave) |
Not counted as service at all |
|
Future Impact |
May reduce leave credit slightly |
Reduces leave credit by 1/10th |
Why is Dies Non Important?
- It serves as a disciplinary tool, discouraging unauthorized absence and strikes.
- Ensures that only actual duty or sanctioned leave is counted as service.
- Protects public service discipline by making employees accountable.
Key Takeaways
- Dies non = “Day not counted.”
- No salary, no leave, no service benefits for that period.
- Declared in cases of unauthorized absence or misconduct.
- Reduces earned leave credit by 1/10th in the following half-year.
- Different from Extraordinary Leave, which is sanctioned but unpaid.
