Mumbai, December 12: Fulfilling a long-pending demand of the state workforce, the recently formed Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra announced a five-day working week for its employees, including officers and all grade workers. The decision was approved on Thursday at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. 7th Pay Commission: DA Hike, Rejig in Entry-Level Minimum Wages Still on Cards? Reports Say Govt 'Seriously Considering'.

The new schedule would come into effect from February 29. From the said date, the employees would enjoy two offers per week. Their working week would now stretch from Monday to Friday. At present, the employees are working on the second and fourth Saturdays.

The employee unions affiliated to the state government's workforce had, on several occasions in the past, demanded an alignment of their schedule in accordance to the central counterparts. The employees on the payroll of central government are granted two holidays per week.

Update by PTI

The Maharashtra government, with over 20 lakh employees on its payroll, is also reportedly planning to revise the dearness allowance for the workforce. The DA hike, if announced, is likely to be rolled out along with the State Budget 2020-21. If the allowance is revised, a similar increment would be made in dearness relief for the pensioners.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 12, 2020 04:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).