Government formalizes five-day working week
Government formalizes five-day working week
JAKARTA (JP): The five-day working week, introduced on a trial
basis at most government offices over the past year, has finally
been formalized for the Central Government Administration and
Jakarta City Administration.
State Minister of Administrative Reform T.B. Silalahi
announced yesterday that President Soeharto has signed decree no.
68/1995 allowing the working hours of government agencies to be
changed. The regulation becomes effective on Oct. 1.
Silalahi said the trial has proven that for many
administrations the shorter working week is more "effective and
efficient".
The five-day working week will be introduced in phases at
provincial and selected regency and city administrations,
depending on their ability to cope with the changes, the decree
stated.
The decree is merely a formality for government workers in
Jakarta. They have enjoyed a shorter working week for months.
The decree stipulates government employees will work Monday to
Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m with an hour break; and
Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with an 1.5 hour break.
Government teachers will continue to work six days a week
because religious leaders strongly opposed the shorter week.
Government agencies providing vital public services must also
continue to operate six or seven days a week. Civil servants
working under the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense and
Security are also exempted from the decree.
Envy
Asked if this might stir envy among government employees who
still must work on Saturdays, Silalahi pointed out that those on
five-day working week are working longer -- 37.5 hours a week
compared to 32 hours for those working six days a week.
Silalahi also explained the government's policy of recruiting
2,000 new civil servants for the East Timor provincial
administration.
He admitted that the government had broken its pledge not to
recruit more employees than the number who retire each year to
accommodate the administration's needs in East Timor.
All but 59 of the vacancies were filled by East Timorese, he
said. The 59 places that went to non-East Timorese were positions
for university graduates which could not be filled locally
because of a shortage of East Timorese graduates.
A total of 15,000 people applied for the vacancies. When the
government announced the results early this month, some who
failed to qualify began rioting, Silalahi said.
The new recruits will undergo training outside East Timor.
Only 650 of them will be employed in East Timor, the others will
be posted either in central government agencies or in provincial
administrations, he added. (rms)