Observing Saturday as holiday: business community urges government to exempt banks, customs and ports

Business Community has urged the government to exempt banks, custom and ports from observing Saturday as holiday. They said observing two holidays in a week creates multiple problems and severely disadvantaged the business, trading and industrial activity circles.
They strongly criticised the proposal to observe 2-holidays in a week and added that last year government on the demand of business community allowed custom ports functioning on Saturday whereas the banks observed Saturday as holiday. Because of this additional holiday in a week businessmen suffered a lot.
Observing two holidays in a week is not only a loss for business community but it is also a loss of education as universities and colleges will remain closed on Saturday. They observed that there are already many holidays in a month due to ongoing law and order problem and day to day strike in the city on one issue or the other. They urged the government to withdraw this decision and to take appropriate measures in consultation with the business community to address the crises due to shortage of energy.
They were of the view that the government must learn from its last year experience where two holidays were observed in a week but of no use. Neither load shedding was reduced nor was there any saving of electric. They also demanded that educational institutions be exempted from observing two weekly holidays because universities, schools and colleges already remained closed for long period in a year for various reasons.
S M Riaz an industrialists of Landhi has vehemently criticised the government move to observe two weekly holidays merely to conserve energy, which objective even if achieved, will hurt industry badly. Production will be reduced and its costs will increase further.
He said that industries are already facing production losses because of frequent strikes, intermittent electricity failure and it has become very difficult to meet export orders of the foreign buyers on time.
Another industrialist said that the government might consider having weekly two holidays, only for government offices, excluding ports custom and banks. Mohammad Ali criticising the proposal to observe two holidays in a week said the decision would multiply problems and hamper business and industrial activities.
He suggested that if the two holidays in a week was necessary then the export and import-related government offices including ports, customs and banks should be exempted. President, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Muhammad Saeed Shafiq urged the Government to exclude banks, Customs and Ports from observing five-day week.
Saeed Shafiq, in a press statement, has expressed deep concern and dissatisfaction over proposal of 5-days working week/ two-weekly holidays in the name of energy conservation.
Saeed Shafiq stated that last year, the practice of 5-days working week particularly for banks, customs and ports had severely hampered the business activities. On the demand of business community, the Customs and Ports were de notified while banking services remain unavailable on Saturdays.
Saeed said that nowhere in the world banks are closed when the commerce and industrial sector is operative even in the countries where 5-days week is observed and commercial banks remain open on Saturday. Exporters maintaining trade ties with Gulf countries faced additional elimination of Friday being observed as holiday in Gulf, he added. Saeed said that same is for the customs and ports and they cannot be close down for two days as their closure will stop valuable exports of this country and timely clearance of imported goods.
Saeed Shafiq voiced that conservation was a crying need of the day but same must not be done while penalising the commerce and industry and ultimately this will severely impede the business activities leading to decline in government's revenue and economic instability.
Saeed Shafiq was of the view that to curtail the government expenditure and conserve energy, austerity measures should be taken to minimise and control the management and administrative costs, however, two-weekly-holidays would not be a good practice in vogue and would inculcate to indolent attitude of public sector staff. He said that previously the two-weekly holidays to conserve energy proved as a futile exercise which never brought desired results. He forcefully urged to defer the proposal of two-weekly-holidays for public sector institutions, Customs, Ports and Banks for the interest of the country and economy.