Corpus Christi: Governor Declares Holiday, Giving Public Servants an Extended Weekend

Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues of Bahia has declared Friday, June 5, as an optional workday for public agencies in the state, following the Corpus Christi holiday on Thursday, June 4. The measure gives state civil servants an extended holiday break, with normal activities set to resume on Monday, June 8.

The decree, issued by the governor and published in the Official Gazette on Saturday, May 30, establishes that the day off will be offset by adding one extra hour to the work schedule on weekdays after the holiday. The compensation rule is intended to ensure that the time granted as a holiday is recovered through adjusted working hours.

According to the decree, directors of state agencies and departments, along with direct supervisors of employees, will be responsible for enforcing the compensation schedule and for ensuring compliance with attendance rules. The document also states that the Secretariat of Administration, known as Saeb, will issue a further normative instruction detailing how the measure should be implemented.

The decision applies to public sector workers under the Bahia state executive branch and affects offices and entities operating under the state government. The extended break comes in connection with one of the traditional Christian observances in Brazil, Corpus Christi, which falls on Thursday, June 4 this year.

With the decree, the state government is formalizing a long weekend for employees in the public administration while maintaining a mechanism for recuperating the non-working day. The arrangement is common in public administration when holidays create the opportunity for extended breaks, provided that compensatory working hours are completed afterward.

The official order places responsibility on managers to monitor attendance and guarantee that staff members fulfill the required time compensation. The extra hour added to the daily schedule will apply on working days after the holiday period, as determined by the state government.

For Bahia’s state civil servants, the result is a four-day pause from regular duties, spanning the Corpus Christi holiday, the optional workday, and the weekend, before operations restart on Monday, June 8.