Tinian begins 1-hour work hour reduction

While the Executive Branch is still looking at reducing work hours by one hour, the Tinian municipal government has already implemented such a reduction, effective Feb. 13, 2006.

In a memorandum dated Feb. 9, Tinian Mayor Jose P. San Nicolas said that government municipal employees would only be working from 8am to 4pm from Monday to Friday.

“Due to a reduction in our current funding levels, I am forced to announce a change in our current operating hours of business to 7 hours a day,” said San Nicolas.

He said the reduction in hours “will remain until our funding level can support full operational cost.”

Sources from Tinian said the mayor is eyeing further reducing the daily work time to only six hours.

San Nicolas was not immediately available yesterday to confirm this.

The Tinian mayor’s chief operating officer, John E. Untalan, declined to comment on this additional work hour reduction except to say that “the mayor is committed to do whatever it takes to fit everything into the budget we are given.”

Untalan said the mayor met with municipal employees prior to the implementation of the reduced workhour.

Aside from the reduced hour, San Nicolas also implemented since Feb. 9 other cost-cutting measures such as stopping the use of cell phones and accessories purchased by the municipality.

“All employees who were issued a cell phone and fail to return the unit will be personally liable for the cost of the phone, including penalties,” said San Nicolas.

He said he would be providing radios instead to certain personnel “to avoid any lapses in communication.”

The mayor’s action came following the Fitial administration’s move to reduce the government’s annual budget from $213 million to $198 million.

“We’re the only municipality that’s taking this preventive measure right now. We are proud that our mayor is taking every step possible to fit into the budget,” Untalan said.

He declined to say how much the municipal office would save from the workhour reduction program.

The work hour reduction affects all municipal personnel, totaling about 120.

Meantime, a Tinian municipal employee said he “really hopes” that the CNMI-wide impending workhour reduction would no longer affect Tinian.

“The governor is planning to cut hours. I hope we’re no longer affected by that. Otherwise, it would be a double jeopardy. It’s unacceptable. We can’t live with that. Right now, we’re getting paid for only 70 hours per pay,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Fitial administration has formed a task force to assess government staffing and the proposed reduction of work hours in the public sector.

This task force is tasked to look into the government’s work hours, personnel function, redundant positions, and duplication of services, said the administration.

Fitial said Friday that its report would be known yesterday. No such report has been made public yet.

The administration had said the work hour reduction would affect administrative and non-essential workers.

It would exempt those in essential services such as the Department of Public Health, Department of Public Safety, Department of Corrections, Commonwealth Utilities Corp., and the Public School System.