City Hall decrees Ramadhan work hours

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Surjadi Soedirdja issued a decree yesterday on working hours for city officials during Ramadhan.

The decree, which excludes teachers and elementary school keepers, is effective today.

Work hours are from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Normally, City Hall operates from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

Working hours for those with 24-hour jobs should be determined by their unit heads, the decree said.

Deputy Governor of Administrative Affairs Idroes said firm action would be taken against employees who skipped their tasks or left work early.

The sanction would be a written warning which could greatly influence their promotion chances, Idroes said.

The municipality is intensifying its operations against truant civil servants.

The public order office said the usual method of checking employees' work attendance, which is getting them to sign attendance sheets, was not good enough because employees planning to be late or absent asked colleagues or office boys to forge their signatures.

Last year the public order office said the attendance system should be modernized.

Five thousand of the administrations 76,000 civil servants work at City Hall.

The public order office has conducted random operations to improve civil servants' discipline.

In 1995, 440 undisciplined officials were netted.

Meanwhile, the council received a delegation from the National Youth Committee's city chapter yesterday.

The delegation's chairman, Adhyaksa, urged the city to close all entertainment venues during Ramadhan and not just on the day before and first day of Ramadhan, which was yesterday and today.

Earlier the city issued guidelines on entertainment venue opening hours during Ramadhan. All nightspots should be closed one day before Idul Fitri and during Idul Fitri and one day after. Idil Fitri is on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10.

The nightspots affected includes nightclubs, discotheques and karaoke bars. These can open from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, while fitness centers, saunas and massage parlors can open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Live music shows, cultural events, bars, pubs and coffee shops can open from 8 p.m to midnight.

The guidelines also apply on Saturdays and national holidays.

Normally, nightclubs and discotheques open from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., while saunas open from 9 a.m. to midnight. Massage parlors usually open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and pinball centers from 10 a.m. to midnight.

Of the city's nine million people, seven million, or 85 percent, are Moslem. (ste)