PAKISTAN'S new prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has abolished five-day work week in government offices as he attempted to revive the cash-strapped country's economy.
Sharif also changed office hours to 8 am instead of 10:00 am. He announced that only Sunday will be the weekly-off day in government offices.
“We have come to serve the masses and no moment will be wasted,” he said while interacting with his staff on Tuesday (12), his second day in office.
“Honesty, transparency, diligence and hard work are our guiding principles,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run Radio Pakistan.
He ordered immediate implementation of the announcements on the increase in pension and the minimum wage of PKR 25,000 (£10.52).
Sharif also called an emergency meeting of experts to deliberate on the serious economic situation faced by the country.
Sharif, who became Pakistan's new prime minister after the unceremonious ouster of Imran Khan, is a hard-core realist and over the years has earned the reputation of a matter-of-fact person as well as a good administrator.
The 70-year-old younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif has served as the chief minister of the most populous and politically crucial Punjab province thrice.
(PTI)
Pakistan abolishes five-day work week in government offices
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.