Bankers across the country expressed their anger at new laws that force them to work more hours. The banking industry is not working as well with more staff members being dissatisfied and the culture being damaged with increased working hours.
On Friday, the State Bank of Pakistan was hit by a protest staged by bank workers. They wanted the banking regulators to return the old working hours for them back to those that were in place earlier this summer.
A banker working in Pakistan said that the loss of productivity due to an additional work day will not just hurt employees; it will also add to the operational costs significantly.
Banks’ staff members are usually overloaded with extra work during mid month. This can lead to long shifts that may put people’s safety at risk.
The banking regulator has been advocating gender diversity and inclusion. But the implementation of extended working hours and working Saturdays on the instructions of the prime minister will discourage women from adopting banking as a career, said Shaista Khan, a banker based in Lahore.
Bankers said banking industry is facing a shortage of human resources in the industry, and the new work policy will discourage newcomers to choose banking as a career.
It was important that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced a new work policy for government departments including banks. It was reported that the officials of the federal government, state-owned organizations, and banks will observe working hours from 8 am to 3 pm including Saturdays during Ramadan.
The timings of the federal government offices in Ramazan have been revised and they have been implemented with immediate effect, according to a notification issued by the Establishment Division. They will continue to remain the same unless they are withdrawn or modified. The timings are: Monday to Thursdays and Saturday 8 am to 3 pm (Prayers break: 1-1:30 pm), Friday 8 am-1 pm.
Many employees of the federal government dislike the new working policies and salary increases announced by the premier.
In Pakistan, the labor laws state that people are permitted 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. The daily breaks include one hour of lunch.
