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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 January 2000 Issue No. 464 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 January 2000 Issue No. 464
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Heritage Special Books Profile Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters And on the sixth day...
By Mariz TadrosIf you were one of the many commuters who sighed as they passed through Tahrir Square last week, thinking that the traffic will never be quite as smooth again on Thursdays, there is good news. The Cabinet has decided that Thursday will be an official day off for civil servants throughout the year. At the beginning of Ramadan, the Cabinet had announced that civil servants would be given Thursday as an extra day off, so that they could enjoy a two-day weekend and also to help ease the traffic on that day.
Since government employees use only 10 per cent of private transport, there was much scepticism at first over whether traffic would improve. There is a general consensus, however, that the experiment was successful. The proof? Taxi drivers no longer whiz past you when you hail them for a trip downtown. On Thursdays during Ramadan, few downtown commuters could complain of having had to wait for ages at every intersection, inhaling carbon monoxide and mouthing a wide variety of expletives.
One of the reasons for the experiment's success may be that a fair proportion of civil servants come from outside the city, and travel back to their villages or towns at the end of the week.
But it is not just commuters that are rejoicing; government employees are also elated. It always seemed unfair to them that, in most countries, employees have two days off, while they had only one. The exceptions are employees in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, public sector employees and those manning public services, who will still have to work the full six days
Women in the civil service are especially relieved. Many get up at dawn six days a week to see their children off to school, before rushing to catch buses and micro-buses to get to their offices on time. One day less of this routine makes a much appreciated difference. Since female civil servants usually have to juggle work with managing a household, Fridays were spent doing household chores and helping children with homework, leaving no time for rest. Now, taking time off to relax will not be such a distant dream.
The change in working hours for the rest of the week has slightly dampened the bureaucrats' joy, however. To make up for the hours lost on Thursday, civil servants will be required to come in an hour early and leave an hour late on other days. For women who have children, this is bad news. "The problem is really about going home late", says Somaya Fahmi, a social worker at the Ministry of Social Affairs. "Schools finish at 2.00pm, but we will leave the office at 3.15 or 3.30, so we won't get home before 5.00pm. What will happen to our children?", she wonders anxiously.
Bahiya Mohamed, her colleague, adds: "My son's kindergarten closes at 2.00pm. When I asked whether they could keep him there until 5.00, they said they will have to charge me almost double. That's almost my entire salary." Shadia Mohamed looks up and chuckles: "Our husbands are not happy because it means we arrive too late to do anything. Mine said he will divorce me. He was only half joking." They all propose that they should be allowed to leave by 2.00 instead of 3.00. But what about the work? They all look back in disbelief: "Do you see us drowning in work? We will manage."
For many male civil servants who moonlight to raise their incomes, managing two or three different jobs at the same time, an extra day off is welcome. Running a shop, working in the service sector, driving a taxi, or cultivating a small plot of land are some of the numerous jobs many men take up after regular working hours. The extra day off means additional time to work and bring in some badly-needed extra money.
As for those who are frustrated that they will no longer be able to get their business with government offices done on a Thursday, they should think of all the hours wasted trying to get there.
In response to fears that the day off will slow down the already sluggish rhythm of work, Hanafi Mohamed Khidr, a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Social Affairs, argues that the opposite is true. "During the month of Ramadan, when Thursday was a day off, I noticed that the employees were coming to work at the beginning of the week looking much fresher, and more prepared to work. Their productivity during the week was much higher than usual. I am very pleased."
