DHAKA, 7 September 2005 — Bangladesh yesterday decided to give government employees an extra day off in an effort to conserve energy after it was forced to raise gasoline prices to reflect the growing cost of crude oil on world markets.
“From Sept. 9 all government, semi-government and autonomous organizations will have Friday-Saturday holidays that would substantially cut use of fuel-powered transport,” an official said yesterday.
Bangladeshi workers used to working six days a week will have to stay on the job an hour longer, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to make up for the extra day off. Offices in Bangladesh customarily close at 4 p.m.
The news of two-day weekend delighted workers at all levels. But garment factory owners and exporters asked the government to change the weekend to Saturday and Sunday to provide better business opportunities.
“The whole business world remains closed on Saturdays and Sundays while they work on Fridays. If we close on Friday, it means we are shut for three days every week, business wise,” said Annisul Huq, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
The move is aimed at keeping vehicles off the streets and offices closed for an extra day and thus save gasoline and electricity, an official statement said.
Government offices and banks will be closed, and the private sector is expected to follow their lead. Friday has so far been the only weekly holiday in the country.
In a drive to clean up the country’s polluted cities, the government has also ordered all public transport, especially some 150,000 diesel-run buses and lorries, to convert to compressed natural gas (CNG).
On Sunday, the government raised the prices of gasoline by an average 16 percent because of soaring global prices, and to help cut down losses suffered by the state-run company that is responsible for importing fuel.
Energy Adviser Mahmudur Rahman said the price hike will help reduce losses at the state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation by about 17 billion takas ($280 million) in the current fiscal year.
Meanwhile, more than 300 opposition activists rallied in Dhaka yesterday to protest fuel-price hikes, saying they would increase the cost of living. As a symbol, some carried kerosene-lit lamps, which are widely used in rural Bangladesh where electricity is not available.
“The government has completely failed to ensure the people’s interest. We demand more subsidies for fuel rather than increasing prices,” said protester Rashid Khan Menon.
