Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 6: The pay of the state government employees had been hiked considerably in the recent past. It is gathered that chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, who feels that creativity of efficiency of employees will improve if they get more rest, has asked the department of personnel and administrative reforms to consider pros and cons of such a measure.

Most of the foreign countries and multinational companies have been following the routine of five-day week. The chief minister's idea is that if employees are given additional time to spend with families, their mental state would be better and more agile if they come back after sufficient leisure. However, the proposal to permit five-day week comes with some riders like cancellation of holidays given for birth anniversaries of eminent personalities, extension of the current working period of six hours per day to seven or seven-and-halfl hours per day etc. The department of personnel and administrative reforms has been asked to verify the possibility of allowing employees belonging to particular communities to avail restricted holidays on birth anniversaries if necessary, and also whether the labour laws have provision for the government to increase daily work hours.

Shifting to five-day week routine is expected to result in saving by way of power, water, petroleum products etc. The chief minister had recently given vent to his thought process that rather than declaring holidays for birth anniversaries, it would be better to teach the ideals and achievements of such illustrious personalities to students in schools.

At present, state government offices have holidays on second Saturdays of every month. The sixth pay commission had recommended to grant holiday on fourth Saturday too. The commission had recommended for the abolition of the notion of restricted holidays. Once the government gets a report on the modalities, advantages and disadvantages of steps proposed by it, the government might come up with its final proposal during the revised budgetary address for the yer 2018-19, sources say.