The nationwide movement in "Yuksalish" has released the results of an anonymous survey among government officials in Uzbekistan regarding the extent to which their work regime is being followed at their workplaces.
The survey included 560 civil servants: 21.4% of respondents were representatives of ministries and departments, 27% were local government bodies, 12.1% were law enforcement agencies, and 39.5% were employees of other government agencies and organizations.
Out of the participants, 376 respondents (67.6%) were male, and 180 (32.4%) were female. Among them, 69% (385 individuals) held ordinary positions or specialist roles, while 31% (172 individuals) were part of the managerial staff.
Survey Results
The survey revealed that a significant portion of the respondents, 57.3%, were engaged in overtime work. This included 36.8% who stated that they worked an additional 1-2 hours daily, 13.9% mentioned working until 10:00 PM, and 6.6% reported staying at work until midnight. Among civil servants, 42.3% indicated that they worked the standard 8 hours per day, as mandated by labor legislation.
Article 262 of the Labor Code stipulates that overtime work should be compensated at a rate of at least double pay. However, only 13.3% of respondents noted that their employers paid them double for overtime work. A substantial portion of those individuals worked within the central offices of government administration.
Of the survey participants, 81.7% stated that they were not paid extra for overtime work.
When asked about the reasons for having to work overtime, 47.7% of respondents cited increased workload, 22.8% mentioned excessive and redundant assignments, 17.6% felt overwhelmed with work beyond their duties, extended meetings, and conferences, and 12% indicated they had to stay until their superiors left.
The survey also specifically addressed the issue of excessive meetings and prolonged conference times as factors contributing to overtime work in public service. The results showed that 31.6% of respondents did not attend meetings, 41.3% spent up to 4 hours a week in meetings and conferences, 11.4% spent 5-7 hours, and 15.8% spent over 8 hours.
According to the study, the practice of holding numerous meetings and conferences was more prevalent in the Bukhara, Kashkadarya, and Surkhandarya regions.
Workweek and Weekends
In the country, civil servants primarily have a five-day workweek. However, employees often work on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and occasionally on holidays.
The survey revealed that 35.2% of respondents regularly worked on weekends, 29.5% did so occasionally, and 35.3% did not work on weekends. Among the survey participants, 53.4% (299 individuals) stated that they took annual vacations and fully rested during the specified period. Meanwhile, 26.2% of respondents reported not being able to take proper vacations as they were called back from leave, and 20.4% mentioned having their vacation documents processed but continued working without rest.
While these figures might not comprehensively depict the overall situation in the country, they confirm the existence of cases where labor legislation is not being followed in the public service," according to "Yuksalish."
Harmful Effects of Overtime Work
"The effective and professional functioning of government agencies and organizations largely depends on the conditions provided for employees and the proper distribution of their workload," note the authors of the study.
The Labor Code, recently revised, as well as the "Law on State Civil Service," establish a five-day workweek and a maximum of 40 hours of work per week for government employees (i.e., not exceeding 8 hours per day). A joint study by the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization demonstrated that overtime work has adverse health effects. In 2016, globally, 745,000 individuals who worked more than 55 hours per week died from stroke and ischemic heart disease. This statistic is 29% higher than that of 2000, with around 72% of such deaths occurring among men.
The study's findings indicate that working 55 or more hours per week increases the risk of stroke by 35% and the risk of ischemic heart disease by 17%.
Experts believe that continuous work without rest leads to stress among employees. Additionally, individuals who spend excessive time at work struggle to dedicate sufficient time to raising their children, thereby destabilizing family life. The societal impact of these factors has yet to be evaluated, and their negative consequences could be even more extensive.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) recommend that governments take strict measures to prohibit overtime work, while employers and unions should incorporate flexible work schedules, not exceeding 55 hours per week, into collective agreements.
Developed countries have implemented a range of laws to protect employees' health by regulating overtime work, allowing them to maintain effective performance, notes "Yuksalish."
For instance, in Sweden, an employee cannot work more than 50 hours of overtime per month or 200 hours per calendar year. Hungary's workload is relatively high; according to the country's legislation, the maximum limit for overtime work is 250 hours per year. This can be increased to 300 hours if agreed upon in a collective agreement. According to Uzbekistan's Labor Code, an employee's overtime should not exceed 4 hours on two consecutive days or 120 hours per year.
"Yuksalish" highlights that there is a positive example among Uzbekistan's government agencies. In 2021, the Ministry of Justice implemented a practice of automatically shutting down employees' work computers at the end of the workday. Whether the ministry still adheres to this practice remains unspecified.
Efforts to "Bring officials back to their families"
In the spring of 2017, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan declared an "emergency situation" for the country's leadership, resulting in an intensified work regime. Residents of Tashkent and other cities reported that lights in government institutions were on until midnight.
In August 2018, during a meeting involving ministry and agency heads, the president stated that government employees should spend Sundays with their families.
Now, work on Saturdays will last until 5:00 PM, and Sunday will be a day off. The president said that people should focus on their families.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed reducing the number and duration of meetings in government agencies, as well as ending the collection of unnecessary reports and information.
At that time, Prime Minister Abdullah Aripov directed government organizations and management at all levels, especially local hokimiyats, to develop specific work regulations.
To organize and enhance meeting efficiency, a sharp reduction in their number was proposed: they would be scheduled to occur no more than 2-3 times per week, as indicated in a document signed by the head of the government. Additionally, the duration of meetings was instructed to be limited to 2 hours for republican-level meetings and 1-1.5 hours for regional, district, and city-level meetings.
In December 2019, the president signed a decree titled "On Measures for Further Reducing Bureaucratic Barriers and Implementing Modern Management Principles in the Activities of Government Agencies and Organizations." The decree included provisions such as the prohibition of meetings on weekends and holidays, the assignment of tasks unrelated to employees' roles, and other measures.
In February 2020, the government issued a directive instructing government agencies to adhere to labor legislation and employee labor rights. It was prohibited to detain employees after their official working hours and to require work on weekends.
In January 2021, during one of the meetings, the president stated, "It's time to stop holding unnecessary meetings. Some leaders are obsessed with this. Those who organize unnecessary meetings that last more than 40 minutes will be dismissed from their positions."
In July 2022, the Ministry of Labor reported the development of a document to safeguard the labor rights of civil servants who are engaged in overtime work. The ministry proposed connecting the timekeeping system in government offices to the labor inspection server and implementing higher electricity tariffs during non-working hours.
Despite these measures, civil servants continue to be engaged in overtime work, and reports from various regions consistently highlight the convening of meetings either early in the morning on weekends or during nighttime.
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