Mumbai, February 28: Maharashtra government’s circular of five-day working week for the state government employee was challenged in the Bombay High Court on Friday. A writ petition was filed against the circular by Mahesh Gadekar, resident of Solapur. In the plea, Gadekar demanded that the circular should be revoked. Banks To Have 5-Day Working Week Permanently? Here Is What RBI Says.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government on February 12 announced five-day work week for its officers and employees. The decision was taken at the state Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister. The government’s decision will benefit nearly 20 lakh officers and employees.

The rule will come into effect from February 29. The current work hours will also be extended by 45 minutes. According to the state government, the new policy will not only improve the quality of life of its employees but will also cut down expenses on fuel and electricity. Bank Holidays in April 2019: Ram Navami, Mahavir Jayanti & Good Friday Offs to Affect Banking Operations This Month.

At present, the work hours of the government employees in Mumbai are from 9.45 am to 5.30 pm and from 10 am to 5.45 pm in the rest of Maharashtra, including lunchtime of 30 minutes. The employees currently get holidays on every second and fourth Saturday. The new work hours will be from 9.45 am to 6.15 pm, including the lunch break for 30 minutes between 1 pm and 2 pm. However, peons have to report at 9:30 am. 7th Pay Commission: Central Government Employees Hopeful of Minimum Wage Hike Announcement in Budget 2020.

Meanwhile, offices covered under Factory Rules, Industrial Disputes Act and essential services such as police and fire brigade, government colleges, polytechnic colleges, sanitation workers are excluded from the new rule. Apart from the Central government employees, the five-day week structure is currently in place for employees of Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal governments.

(With inputs from PTI)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2020 07:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).