Section 24A. If any person employed by the commonwealth is required to work on any legal holiday, as listed in the first sentence of clause Eighteenth of section seven of chapter four, he shall be given an additional day off or, if such additional day off cannot be given by reason of a personnel shortage or other cause, he shall be entitled to an additional day's pay; provided, that any person whose regular day off, other than a Saturday, falls on any such legal holiday shall be given an additional day off or, if such additional day off cannot be given by reason of a personnel shortage or other cause, an additional day's pay; and provided, further, that if the regular day off of any such person is Saturday and any such legal holiday falls on a Saturday, such person shall, where possible, be given the preceding Friday off without loss of pay, or if said day off cannot be given by reason of a personnel shortage or other cause, he shall be given an additional day off, as hereinbefore provided for other persons whose regular day off falls on a legal holiday, or, in lieu thereof, an additional day's pay.

This section shall not apply to elected officers, appointees of the governor, heads of departments and divisions, superintendents of institutions in the departments of mental health, developmental services, public health, public welfare, Soldiers' Home in Massachusetts, Soldiers' Home in Holyoke and agencies under the jurisdiction of the department of youth services, to presidents of educational institutions or to principal officers in the correctional institutions.