News
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Five-day working week notified
* Banks, educational institutions to also remain closed
* LHC opts for six-day working weekISLAMABAD/Lahore: The Interior Ministry on Friday issued a notification – to come into effect immediately – on two holidays a week for government offices across the country.
According to the notification, Saturday and Sunday would be holidays for government offices, office hours would be between 8am and 4pm for the five working days from Monday to Friday, lunch breaks would be between 1pm and 1:30pm except on Fridays – when an extended break from 12:30pm to 2:00pm would be given to allow employees time for prayers. This notification has been issued in line with the prime minister’s directives to conserve energy. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government also notified on Friday that a working week in the province would have five days, joining the campaign to preserve energy. The notification by the Establishment Department said the arrangement for five-day working weeks would remain in place until June 31. “In view of the federal government’s plans to conserve energy in the country, the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to reduce the number of working days in a week to five, beginning from April 23 until July 31... [the arrangement includes] divisional and district offices,” read the notification. While the working hours in the province would be the same as those in the federal capital, a 30-minute break would be given daily for prayers from 1pm to 1:30pm. On Fridays, the break would be extended from 12:30pm to 2pm.
Also, the governments of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan and the State Bank of Pakistan have issued notifications on five-day working weeks. The notification by the Punjab government, however, said the arrangement would not apply to Chief Minister’s House. According to the State Bank’s notification, all private banks and financial institutions would remain closed on Saturday. However, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif has decided not to reduce the working week to five days, and said all LHC principal seats; benches in Rawalpindi, Multan and Bahawapur; and all subordinate courts in the province would continue to work as usual. He said the LHC would make all-out efforts to conserve energy. staff report
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk