****************************************
In response to media enquiries concerning implementation of five-day week, a spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (December 6) made the following points:
* FEHD strictly adheres to the basic principles set by the Civil Service Bureau in taking forward the five-day week initiative, including no reduction in the conditioned hours of service of individual staff. Therefore, working hours on weekdays for staff joining the five-day week are extended to ensure that there is no reduction in the weekly conditioned hours of service of individual staff.
* Before implementation of five-day week, FEHD widely consulted staff. As most of FEHD's front-line staff are involved in physical labour work, occupational safety and health issues have been taken into account in considering whether certain services would move to five-day week.
* Civil Service Regulation (CSR) 543 provides that if a general holiday occurs, the conditioned hours for that week may be reduced by the same number of hours which an officer normally works on that particular day. Under five-day week, for staff on a Monday-to-Friday work week, Saturday is not a working day. As the staff member concerned is not required to work on Saturday, his/her conditioned hours for the week will not be reduced (and no compensatory off-duty day will be granted) under the prevailing CSRs even if a public holiday falls on that day.
Ends/Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Issued at HKT 19:12
NNNN