4-day work week begins April 1

Government offices will begin an experimental four-day work week on April 1 to boost efficiency and help reduce traffic congestion, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said yesterday.

Under the scheme, the country’s more than one million civil servants will have the option of working 10 hours each day for four days – Tuesday to Friday or Monday to Thursday – or retain their eight-hour shifts from Monday to Friday.

"This will result in government offices being open for 50 hours each week instead of 40, giving the public more time in which to access government agencies," Sto. Tomas said in a statement.

The plan, which will run from April 1 to May 31, should also result in less traffic on Metro Manila’s choked streets on Mondays and Fridays.

Sto. Tomas said President Arroyo has not yet made a decision on whether to pursue the scheme after May.

The President approved last week the four-day work week for all government employees, except for those in the police, military, state-run hospitals and health centers and other government agencies providing safety, security, protection and other emergency services.

Mrs. Arroyo issued Administrative Order No. 32 to implement the adjusted working hours for employees of all departments, bureaus, offices and other agencies under the executive branch, including government-owned and -controlled corporations.

The President cited her administration’s "holiday economics" for implementing the adjusted working hours for government offices as well as extra days off during Christmas and Lent.

However, this move has been met with criticism from several lawmakers.

Senate President Pro Tempore Manuel Villar Jr. said yesterday Malacañang should study the effects of extended holidays and shorter work days on the work ethics of government employees, especially those in agencies that have been lousy in the delivery of services.

"Frankly, with so many government agencies not functioning efficiently, the public can hardly tell if state employees are working for four or five days," he said. "In the long run, efficiency is what really matters."

Sen. Edgardo Angara had criticized Malacañang for its obsession with long holidays and shortened working hours, which he said would only foster "a culture of laziness and complacency."

"This does not teach Filipinos the right work ethic," Angara said. "Time and again, this government has been favoring long holidays as if production and income for spending were abundant." – AFP, Aurea Calica