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However,
civil servants will not be required to work longer hours. Instead, they will clock
in for work at three different times – from 7.30am till 4.30pm, from 8am
till 5pm, and from 8.30am till 5.30pm.
<P>In effect, the offices will be open
from 7.30am to 5.30pm. </P>
<P>The timetable is the same for those working in Kedah,
Kelantan and Terengganu, except that they will observe Friday and Saturday as
the days off. </P><P>Public Service Department corporate communications unit chief
Hasniah Rashid said the decision to implement the system nationwide was taken
after it was found that staggered working hours had contributed to higher productivity
among civil servants. </P><P>“Civil servants found that they were able to
make better use of their time. We also found that longer opening hours for our
offices benefited our clients and helped improve the public delivery system,”
she said. </P><P>Currently, government offices in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya open
from 7.30am to 5.30pm with a lunch break between 1pm and 2pm. On Fridays, the
lunch break is between 12.15pm and 2.45pm. </P><P>Staggered working hours from
7.30am to 6.30pm were introduced 10 years ago in departments such as the National
Registration and the Immigration Departments, to provide longer hours of service
to the public. </P><P>About a year later, the working hours were revised to 5.30pm
and implemented in government offices in Kuala Lumpur. </P><P>Cuepacs welcomed
the plan but said the Government should consider problems faced by civil servants.
</P><P>“For instance, staff whose houses are far from their offices, who
have transportation problem or who have to rush their children to school or the
babysitter in the morning should not be forced to work at 7.30am. They should
be allowed to choose working hours suitable for them. Otherwise, it will be a
torture for them,” Cuepacs president Omar Osman said. </P><P>He also expressed
regret that Cuepacs was not briefed so that it could explain the matter to its
850,000 members. </P><P>MTUC president Syed Shahir Syed Mohd also said the welfare
of civil servants should be taken into consideration. </P><P>“The staff should
be comfortable with their working hours. If they face problems coming to work
on time, the counter service will be affected. We should not compromise the quality
of service,” he said. </P><P>Fomca secretary-general Mohd Shani Abdullah
said the Government should create public awareness of the new working hours. It
should also consider opening counters during lunch hour, he said.</P><P><I>Source:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/4/4/nation/17340989&sec=nation</I>
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