Every time is holiday time
By H.L. Kumar

TAKING into account the gazetted and other types of closed days, a government servant enjoys 166 holidays (other than the sick leave of 30 days to which he is entitled to). This means that Government employees work at the most for only about half the days in a year. Even on working days, most employees hardly reach office at 9 a.m. and rarely stay till 5.30 p.m. During lunch time, one often sees a sizable number of office workers sitting out in the open, playing cards, knitting or just strolling about, and a half-an-hour long break gets stretched. Even during office hours, the work performance comprises more of multiplying papers work than disposal of matters.

Government offices are already over-staffed, their productivity is low and accountability non-existent.

Surfeit of holidays declared by the Central Government for the year 1999 bears testimony to this fact. Activist organisations have been raising their voice against this luxury yet the mandarins sitting in government offices give a damn to such voices. In the 1999, the government offices will remain closed for more than 165 days. What is, however, most surprising is that politicians, who have been entrusted by the people to look after the interests of the country are blissfully unaware of the colossal loss that the nation will incur because of the plethora of holidays.

Productivity and efficiency have never been effectively pursued as worthy objectives by government functionaries. No efforts have ever been made to enforce accountability.

Earlier, office functioning was based on a ‘six-day’ week, with only second Saturday as a half-day. This system was changed during Rajiv Gandhi’s time. The five-day week was introduced on the plea that it would enable the workers to fulfil their social and domestic obligations. This, in turn, it was thought would tend to make them operate more efficiently in disposing of office work. This decision has, in reality, had the opposite effect and adversely affected work performance in the offices.

With the introduction of the five-day week the closed days in offices have increased from 58 (52 Sundays and 12 half-days) to 104 (52 + 52). These are not the only closed days. There are many others, including gazetted holidays (18); restricted holidays which are available to the officials at their choice out of a list notified for the purpose and earned leave (30 days).

Most holidays are largely based on religious considerations and serve to satisfy the sentiments of different sections. Religious communities and groups have been opposing any move to reduce the number of these holidays.

Fourteen out of the 18 gazetted holidays are birthdays, including those of Mahavira, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Prophet Mohammad, Guru Nanak, Guru Ravi Das, Ambedkar, Hazrat Ali and Maharishi Valmiki. The 18 gazetted holidays can certainly be cut down to a maximum of 11, which would be comparable to the number of holidays observed in other countries: USA 10, Japan 12, Netherlands 9, UK 11.

There is the unfortunate tendency in our country of declaring a holiday on the demise of an important personality. In our Parliament and state assemblies, there is the practice of closing the session to mourn the demise of a member or of a dignitary. This practice needs to be stopped. It should suffice, (as is the practice in other countries for observance of mourning if the flag is flown halfmast and silence is observed for a couple of minutes.

Taking into account gazetted and other closed days observed in government offices, a government servant normally enjoys 166 holidays (other than the sick leave of 30 days to which he is entitled to): 104+18+2+30+12. This means that government servants work, at the most, for only about half the number of days in a year.

Efficiency and productivity will undoubtedly stand to improve if the number of holidays is curtailed. Religious festivals should preferably be treated as personal to individual employees in the spirit of secularism and it should not be necessary to close down offices on such occasions. There should be only three national holidays, namely Independence Day (August 15), Republic Day (January 26) and Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday (October 2). Employees should be given a specified number of restricted holidays for participation in celebrations relating to their festivals and the offices kept operational on such days.

The introduction of the five-day week in any case has brought about a decline in work activity, according to evaluation studies conducted in various offices. It has also brought about a general public perception that work efficiency in government offices has suffered by this change. In fact the five-day week has tended to get converted into a four-day week as the officials find it easier to go out on extended weekends leaving early on Friday and returning late on Monday. Where there may be one or two holidays in the middle of the week, the entire week can be written off as far as serious office work is concerned. Some states have also changed over to the five-day week.

Office timing is the other matter which is important in this connection. Central Government offices are now observing the timing of 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. with a half-an-hour-long lunch break. In reality, most employees hardly ever reach the office at 9 a.m. or stay till 5.30 p.m. All efforts at imbibing punctuality have been futile. Recently when a state government introduced electronic machines for recording time and attendance, nine out of 16 machines were found damaged by miscreants within three days, and all the machines had to be withdrawn.

Invariably, one finds that only a few officials, comprising mostly the senior ones, who manage to reach offices at 9 a.m. At lunch time one often sees a size able number of office workers sitting out in the open playing cards, knitting or just strolling about. The half-hour break gets very easily stretched. From 4.30 p.m. onward, long before office closing time, we often notice quite a few members of staff, particularly the ladies, standing at the bus stands to catch the bus back home.

During office hours, there is an inherent dilatary attitude. This is prompted by an avoidance of responsibility as far as the final disposal of matter before the officials concerned.

Another significant relating to office attendance is the practice of payment of overtime allowance for non-gazetted employees who put in more hours than the designated office hours. The previous pay commissions had recommended its abolition but the practice has been allowed to continue. The arguments being put forth for continuing this practice are not convincing.

In the month of December, northern India was reeling under dense fog which provided an alibi to shirkers for not attending offices. In a surprise check, the Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh, found that only 20 per cent attendance was reported. He suspended some 20 employees but he had to beat a hasty retreat by revoking their suspension under tremendous pressure from trade unions.

In yet other instance, Haryana government employees, annoyed by the introduction of the time-keeping machines for recording their reporting time, damaged the machine, while government proved to be a helpless spectator.

Matters relating to the functioning of our government offices call for serious consideration. Private enterprises obviously cannot afford such laxities. They work with the objective of achievement of work targets — a culture, very distinct from the culture of our government offices.