The Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin proposed a 4-day work week for employees and that made us Indians, green with envy and question ‘Apna Time Kab Aayega?’ Well maybe now is the time but for Maharashtra. The government announced a 5-day work week for its officers and employees from 29th February and extended the current work hours by 45 minutes. This is a small step but the government feels that the new structure will improve the quality of life and will also cut down expenses on fuel and electricity. Since the last many years, the state government has been demanding this 5-day work week and now finally their prayers have been answered.
What’s In It?
The decision to provide a 5-day workweek to government employees in Maharashtra was taken at the state Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. This will benefit 20 lakh officers and employees. The current work hours of government employees in Mumbai are from 9.45 am to 5.30 pm and from 10 am to 5.45 pm in the rest of Maharashtra this includes lunchtime of 30 minutes. The new work time will be 9:45 to 6:15 pm which includes a 30 minutes lunch break between 1 pm and 2 pm.
However, the peons in the government departments have to report to work at 9:30 am every day. The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated that offices all over Maharashtra will have the same working hours. And lunchtime will be a maximum of 30 minutes between 1 pm and 2 pm. The offices covered under Industrial Disputes Act, Factory Rules and essential services like government colleges, sanitation workers, polytechnic colleges and police and fire brigade are excluded.
Also Read: Finland’s PM Proposes 4 Day Work Week And 6 Hour Workday
What’s More?
This 5-day work week structure is currently in place for employees of Delhi, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu governments apart from the Central Government employees. The statement revealed that due to this 5-day work week expenses on water, diesel, petrol and electricity will be saved. Government employees can also spend time with their families and this will boost their quality of life. The total working days for Maharashtra government employees at present is 288 days in a year. The total working hours per day are 7:15 hours excluding the 30-minute lunch break. The total work hours in a month for the employees are 174 hours and 2088 hours in a year.
This 5-day work week for Maharashtra government employees would lead to 264 working days in a year. The working hours per month will be 176 and 2112 hours in a year. GD Kulthe, president of the Maharashtra Gazetted Officers Association has appreciated this 5-day work week. He stated that this 5-day work week will benefit women employees. And he also further added that all government employees and officers’ associations have welcomed the decision. Well, now that that Maharashtra government employees can enjoy this 5-day work week, we wonder when will be our turn! Did you know Maharashtra Government Bans Alcohol Consumption At Forts?