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)