AS A thank you for all their hard work dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, council staff in Blaenau Gwent will be given New Year's Eve off as an extra holiday.

At a special meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Executive team on Wednesday, September 1, received a report outlining the proposal which had originally made jointly by Unison, GMB and Unite trade unions representatives.

Blaenau Gwent’s head of governance and partnerships, Bernadette Elias said: “This report sets out their request following the conversation with the joint unions to grant the workforce, other than those employed by schools, an additional one-day annual leave on December 31, as a one off.”

Ms Elias explained that the proposal was made at a meeting between the joint trade unions the council’s Corporate Leadership team and the Executive on July 28.

The purpose of the extra day off is to recognise the “excellent and committed hard work” of the staff responding to the pandemic and supporting our communities.

“It’s a straightforward request,” said Ms Elias.

The report adds that any workers who would have to work on December 31 would be able to take the extra day off, “at another time.”

Council leader, Cllr Nigel Daniels said: “This is probably the easiest decision I’m going to take in the five years I’ll be leader, that’s for absolute certain.”

Cllr Daniels explained that the request had been agreed “there and then” during the meeting with trade union officials, but that the process of making the decision official had to be taken.

Cllr Daniels added: “It is an appropriate way to acknowledge the phenomenal amount of work that all our staff have done across the service, it’s been absolutely outstanding.

“I’m more than happy to move the option.”

He was backed unanimously by the rest of the Executive team.