State Govt’s 5-day week not applicable to hospitals, cops, essential services
   Date :25-Feb-2020

5-day week _1  
 
 
Staff Reporter :
 
Not applicable to various establishments in Vidarbha region too
 
 
Finally, on Monday, Maharashtra Government announced the norms for five-day week coming into effect from February 29 (Saturday). However, it may disappoint the Government staffers in hospitals and essential services and also the cops to know that five-day week will not be applicable to them. General Administration Department (GAD) issued a Government Resolution (GR) on Monday, detailing the conditions for implementation of five-day week. As per the GR, implementation of five-day week will start from February 29, 2020. Henceforth, every Saturday and Sunday will be holiday for Government offices. But, the Government employees will have to compensate for it in the five working days by giving 45 minutes more daily. The official working hours will be from 9.45 am to 6.15 pm.
 
For the peons, the working hours will be from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm. The working hours will include half-an-hour of lunch break anytime between 1 pm and 2 pm. However, the five-day week will not be applicable to the Government offices under Factory Act or Industrial Disputes Act or essential services. The important establishments to which five-day week will not be applicable include Government hospitals/clinics, Police Department, Prisons Department, water supply projects/schemes, Fire and Emergency Services Department, sanitation workers, Government colleges, medical colleges, schools, polytechnics.
 
The five-day week relief will not be available to milk schemes under Dairy Development Department and covered under Factory Act. Factory Department of Government transport service, printing presses under Government Printing Directorate will not be benefited. Further, many establishments in Vidarbha region also will be deprived of five-day week. Five-day week will not be applicable to Vaccine Institute, Nagpur. Under Water Resources Department, the norm will not be applicable to Government Central Workshops at Nagpur and Bhandara; regional workshops at Wardha, Akola, Ashti.
 
The other deprived establishments from the region include integrated units under Revenue and Forest Department at Ballarshah and Paratwada; Government-owned saw mill at Alapalli, nad workshops under Divisional Forest Officer (Transport and Business) at Paratwada and Ballarshah.
 
 
Previously, 5-day week decision was rolled back in three years This is not the first time that the State Government will be implementing five-day week for its employees. Previously, the decision to implement five-day week was taken in 1985, but was rolled back in 1988. Vide a circular issued on June 13, 1985. five-day week was made applicable to all the Government establishments in the State. Necessary clarifications were issued regarding implementation vide a circular issued on February 12, 1987. However, the decision to implement five-day week was rolled back vide a GR dated August 31, 1988. Thus, in over three years, the Government scrapped the decision. From September 1, 1988, second and fourth Saturday of every month were declared as holidays.