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Courts implement 4-day workweek due to rising fuel prices

March 25, 2022 Hector Lawas 306 views

FOLLOWING consecutive oil price increases in the past weeks, the Supreme Court (SC), Court of Appeals (CA), and Sandiganbayan on Friday separately announced that they will be implementing a four-day workweek starting March 28, 2022.

In Memorandum Order No. 39-2022 signed by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, employees will now be required to report on-site for only four days a week, at ten hours per day, with the official time work being 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

But in order that all offices/services/divisions in the SC will be open from Monday to Friday, the workforce in these offices/services/divisions shall be divided into two groups, with the first group reporting on Monday to Thursday and the second group reporting from Tuesday to Friday.

The said flexible schedule, however, will not apply to personnel belonging to medical/dental services, security, maintenance, among others, whose nature of work requires them to render overtime services. Their official time work will still be 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Justices shall determine the number of their staff who will be required to report on-site in their respective chambers.

Heads of offices and services and their assistants shall determine who among them will be included in each shift, which may be on a rotation basis.

At the Appellate Court (CA), court officials and employees shall report on-site for only four days a week for ten hours a day from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

All stations of the CA shall continue to operate from Monday to Friday.

Their workforce shall be divided into two groups, with the first group reporting on Monday to Thursday and the second group reporting from Tuesday to Friday.

Heads of offices and divisions should be in separate groups from their assistants to maintain senior management presence.

The Security Service shall maintain its existing round-the-clock rotation. Outsourced security and maintenance personnel shall continue to report for work on a daily basis based on their existing rotation.

The One-Stop Processing Center (OSPC) shall continue to operate from Monday to Friday. The filing of pleadings and other documents shall be entertained from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

At the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court likewise implemented a four-day workweek starting March 28, 2022 following increases in the prices of oil and other petroleum products in the past weeks.

In Administrative Order No. 057-2022 signed by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, Sandiganbayan offices, divisions, and chambers, upon the discretion of its heads, shall adopt a new working scheme, with employees required to work on-site for four (4) days, at ten hours a day, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Offices and divisions that opted to adopt the four-day workweek should ensure that they are open from Monday to Friday, with their heads to determine the rotation of personnel so that their adjudicative and administrative functions are not impaired.

Also, heads of offices and divisions, and their assistants, must ensure that one of them is present every day to maintain senior management presence.

But the security division shall maintain its existing round-the-clock rotation, while agency security and maintenance personnel continue to report for work based on their existing rotation.

Also, the filing of pleadings and other court submissions shall be allowed from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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