Five day drill for State employees.

The proposal by the Kerala Government for five-day work week for its employees is borne out of financial emergency rather than any ingenious plan to improve administration.  The proposal is just like the drivel model pension age hike and the contributory pension.

The services by Kerala Government employees are very poor. The Chief Minister’s much said “Mass contact programme” is pointer to this. If employees do their designated work on time there would arise no mass contact programme.  As it stands now, the lessening of a work day result in poorer services for the public though there is no much gain for government expenditure.  Just as an instance I may quote one.

There is an office at Ernakulam called the office the Deputy Director of Collegiate Education. This office is meant for looking the service need of all the teaching and non-teaching staff members of 33 aided colleges associated with. The action on service and pension papers of many staff members are  long overdue at this office. There are teachers working in affiliated colleges for about two years since appointment without salary due to the inefficacy of this office.  None is bothered to see the employees available there do their work. It is learnt from a college clerk visiting DD office that the clerk in duty of dealing with pension papers attend the office only once in week. Does it mean that if 5 day week is implemented this clerk would never attend his office? The superior officer who is about to retire soon is least bothered in correcting his junior because of his future pension apprehensions.

So, the Government planning to improve administration should see that the employees are present in their office in time and doing their duty. The habit of leaving the office for union meet after putting signature should be made illegal.   An immediate accountability check of the staff is more important than executing five day drill for them.

K A Solaman The New Indian Express published on 15 Oct