Break time reduced by 30 minutes for civil servants during Ramadan

The government has agreed to reduce the break time for public servants by half an hour during the month of Ramadan, said Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa.

"This step was taken to allow them to take advantage of the holy month of Ramadan and perform their religious obligations," he said in a statement Thursday.

To implement the directive, Ali said the government had agreed to add the new staggered working hours (WBB) into the current timetable at all federal government agencies.

Ali in the statement also provided the guide on the implementation of WBB during Ramadan in the Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya), Perlis, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Pahang, where Saturday and Sunday are the official rest days.

The office hours for these states would be from 7.30am to 5pm, while the break would be from 1pm to 1.30pm (Monday to Thursday) and 12.30pm to 2.30pm (Friday).

For other states, namely Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Johor, Sabah, Labuan and Sarawak, Ali said the WBB during Ramadan could be checked through Circular No.1 of 2016.

He said the circular would be uploaded on the Public Service Department (PSD) portal at http://www.jpa.gov.my.

"The implementation of the reduction of break time will not affect the activities and operations of the public service delivery system throughout the month of Ramadan, because it does not change the existing working hours of civil servants," he said.

Ali also hoped civil servants would continue to provide excellent service and remain dedicated to ensure efficient and effective service to meet the expectations of the people.