Essential Public Services Act No. 61 of 1979.

This Act enables the President to provide for the declaration of services provided by certain Government departments, public corporations, local authorities and co-operative societies as public services and to establish a legal framework for the matters connected with the essential public services.
The President is vested with the powers to declare services provided by certain Government departments, public corporations, local authorities or co-operative societies to be essential public services as per the Section 2 of the Act. The provisions of this Act shall have effect notwithstanding anything contained in any other written law and accordingly in the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of this Act and such other written law, the provisions of this Act shall prevail.
The Act further makes provisions, inter alia, for offences and penalties.