Five-day working week likely for state employees

Mumbai: There is some good news in the offing for state government employees. Their demand for a five-day working week with Saturday Sunday off, will soon be accepted by the state government. Sources in the chief minister’s office confirmed that CM Devendra Fadnavis has given his nod to the demand. In return, the employees will have to work 30 minutes extra every day.

Currently, state government employees work six days every alternative week. They have been pressing for a five-day week for over a decade but it has always been turned down citing workload and inconvenience to the public as reasons.  In the past, the government had suggested that employees work that extra half an hour for five days but the employees’ unions had rejected it. But this time, they have accepted the proposal.

These 30 minutes will be divided into two parts. Employees will have to resume 10 minutes earlier in morning and leave office 20 minutes later than their current timing in the evening. The unions have accepted this formula, which is why the CM has also indicated his acceptance, sources said. “Since the working hours of Saturday would be adjusted with half an hour extra work during the weekdays, there won’t be any inconvenience to people,” said Subhash Gangurde, general secretary of the Maharashtra state employee’s confederation.

Though government is ready to accept the demand of a five-day week, it is not keen to accept the other demand of employees to increase the age of retirement from 58 to 60. The CM has not given any indication about agreeing to this demand. The employee’s union is clear that it would keep following up the issue with the government.

There is buzz in the state secretariat that by accepting the demand for a five-day working week, the state government is trying to pacify its employees.

The employee’s union has given a call for strike over the implementation of the seventh pay commission in state.

They are demanding the state accept January 1, 2016 as the implementation date for the pay commission. If the government fails to accept this demand by July 12, they have threatened to go on strike. So this acceptance of a five-day week could be an attempt to tone down their coming agitation, feel unions. “But these are two different demands. State government should not mix them up. We will go on strike if government doesn’t accept our demand for the 7th pay commission. This will happen despite any decision on other demands”, said Mr Gangurde.