WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1989
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"NO DOUBT COMMERCIAL CONSIDERATIONS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR INFLUENCE SUBSTANTIALLY MANAGEMENT DECISIONS ON WHETHER TO ALLOW THEIR STAFF TO WORK MORE FLEXIBLE HOURS OR NOT," HE SAID.
SIR DAVID SAID A PUBLICITY PROGRAMME PROMOTING THE WIDER USE OF FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR WAS LAUNCHED JOINTLY BY THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT AND THE INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR.
THE PUBLICITY PROGRAMME HAD BEEN LED BY AN ANNOUNCEMENT PUBLIC INTEREST WHICH WAS RUNNING ON ALL FOUR TELEVISION STATIONS.
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"THIS IS SUPPLEMENTED BY THE DISTRIBUTION OF LEAFLETS AND POSTERS ON FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS TO OVER 7.000 PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANISATIONS EACH OF WHICH EMPLOY MORE THAN 50 STAFF.
"WE ALSO INCLUDED A FEATURE ARTICLE ON THE ADVANTAGES OF FLEXITIME IN TWO RECENT ISSUES OF THE LABOUR RELATIONS NEWSLETTER WHICH HAS A CIRCULATION OF OVER 20,000 EMPLOYERS AND TRADE ASSOCIATIONS.
"IN TOTAL. EXCLUDING STAFF COST AND AIR-TIME ABOUT $120,000 HAS BEEN SPENT ON THE PUBLICITY PROGRAMME." THE CHIEF SECRETARY SAID.
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SIR DAVID SAID THAT SINCE THE SUBJECT OF FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS WAS RAISED IN THE COUNCIL IN JUNE LAST YEAR. HEADS OF DEPARTMENT HAD REVIEWED THE USE OF FLEXITIME OR STAGGERED WORKING HOURS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE.
THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO SEE WHETHER THE PRACTICE COULD BE FURTHER EXTENDED AND WHETHER GREATER FLEXIBILITY COULD BE INTRODUCED IN DECIDING THE "CORE" OPERATION HOURS, WHICH WERE HOURS WHEN ALL STAFF EXCEPT THOSE WHO WORKED SHIFTS SHOULD BE AT WORK.
THE RESPONSE HAD BEEN ENCOURAGING, HE SAID.
FORTY-THREE DEPARTMENTS INVOLVING ABOUT 30.000 STAFF HAD INDICATED THAT THEY WERE OPERATING SOME FORM OF FLEXITIME OR STAGGERED WORKING HOURS FOR ALL OR PART OF THEIR STAFF AND OF THESE, FOUR DEPARTMENTS OPERATED FLEXITIME/LIMITED FLEXITIME. 16 OPERATED STAGGERED WORKING HOURS AND 23 OPERATED BOTH SCHEMES.
"THESE FIGURES COMPARED FAVOURABLY WITH THE FIGURE OF 31 DEPARTMENTS INVOLVING ABOUT 20,000 STAFF) GIVEN IN THIS COUNCIL YEAR," HE SAID.
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SIR DAVID STRESSED THAT THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD CONTINUB TO ENCOURAGE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS TO ADOPT A WIDER USE WORKING HOURS SUBJECT TO THE QUALITY OF SERVICE TO THE BEING ADVERSELY AFFECTED AND TO THE STAFF FULFILLING THEIR WORKING HOURS.
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