Ahmad Malie
KUCHING: The work-from-home policy, announced by Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman in view of the worsening haze situation in the country, could only be done in urban areas and places with good Internet coverage, says Congress of Unions for Employees in Public and Civil Service (Cuepacs) Sarawak chairman Ahmad Malie.
He pointed out that although the rationale behind this policy was good to keep the workers healthy during the haze, it could only be effectively implemented if the infrastructure and working methods had been put in place first.
“Cuepacs Sarawak holds the view that the infrastructure and methods to implement this policy must be seriously looked into first, so that this policy could reach its desired target. If not, this could give rise to other problems and the impact would be borne by the workers.
“We, in Cuepacs Sarawak, generally support any policy that prioritises the welfare of the workers, but we also do not want to compromise anything that may affect the quality of work and delivery.
“As such, this policy is probably better suited for the urban areas and those in other areas with good Internet coverage.
“This does not involve only working at home, but the workers still need to communicate with the superiors and offices in other areas regarding work matters,’” he said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Syed Saddiq said his ministry would be implementing the work-from-home policy, and it would be issuing internal instructions to ensure smooth implementation of the policy as many of the ministry’s staff were working outside and therefore, there were exposed to the haze.
“The ministry is aware of the hazards and dangers exposed to our staff.
The implementation of the policy is to ensure the quality of life of our staff is taken care of continually.
“This policy is also in line with the school closure orders in affected areas,” Syed Saddiq had stated, adding that the policy’s implementation would be dependent on the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading.
The minister also regarded such measure as a necessity and hoped that it would be adopted by other ministries and government agencies.