The island nation, facing its worst economic crisis in 70 years, has given its public sector employees Fridays off to grow crops in their back yards, to help the country increase its food supply and save fuel reserves
Autorickshaw drivers queue along a street to buy petrol from a Ceylon petroleum corporation fuel station in Colombo. The constrained fuel supply has seen people waiting in lines at gas stations for over 10 hours at a time. AFP
Countries across the world are experimenting with four-day workweek, as study after study reveals that it boosts worker productivity and happiness.
However, have you heard of a country opting for this work model to fend off an economic crisis? Well, Sri Lanka has taken the four-day workweek idea to a different meaning, as the island nation copes with crippling food and fuel shortages.
Here’s all we know about Sri Lanka’s new plan to cope with the economic crisis that stares it in its face.
All work, no play
On Tuesday, the Sri Lankan Cabinet granted approval for the proposal to declare a four-day workweek for public sector employees, except for workers in essential services.
Accordingly, Friday was declared a holiday for public sector employees, except for essential workers, for a period of three months. Public sector employees in the fields of health, water, power and energy supply, education, security and other essential services are exempt from this new regulation.
But, the holiday isn’t for the employees to take a break and rest at home. In fact, the policy comes with an important catch — public employees, there are approximately one million of them, are expected to spend their Fridays farming to help the country increase its food supply.
A press release from the government read: “Workers are expected to use their days off to engage in agricultural activities in their backyards or elsewhere as a solution to the food shortage that is expected to occur in the future.”
Moreover, the statement said that the government is planning on providing officials with the “necessary facilities” to grow crops wherever they can. Officials also noted that a fuel shortage has “disrupted passenger transport,” and a reduced workweek will help reduce fuel use.
The announcement spurred reactions across social media with some netizens criticising the government for doing too little.
Others questioned how much different would the four-day week make and said that most government employees are poor and don’t own their own land, making them unlikely to cultivate any food.
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis led to massive protests in May, which led to the eventual ouster of Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister. AFP
Sri Lanka’s economic spiral
The island nation with a population of 22 million is in the midst of its worst financial and political crisis in 70 years. It all began in November 2019 but its worst effects have been in the first few months of 2022 where people have been left without food and electricity.
Also read: Timeline | Sri Lanka’s economic crisis was in the making from November 2019
The condition has been dire with the country in mid-May announcing that it had only a day’s worth of petrol. On 17 May, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had in a televised address said, “At the moment, we only have petrol stocks for a single day. The next couple of months will be the most difficult ones of our lives. We must prepare ourselves to make some sacrifices and face the challenges of this period.”
The constrained fuel supply has led to the country witnessing power outages lasting as long as 15 hours a day and people waiting in lines at gas stations for over 10 hours at a time. In March, two men with medical conditions died while queuing up at fuel pumps for hours under unusually hot temperatures.
Fortune has reported that the annual inflation in Sri Lanka is at a brutal 39 per cent whereas food prices are now 57.4 per cent. In April, the price of rice in Sri Lanka had risen to an exorbitant Rs 200-240 per kilogram, while sugar was being sold for Rs 300. Milk powder was being sold for Rs 790 for 400 gram.
Reuters reported that the rise in food prices have prompted restaurant owners to raise the cost of a cup of milk tea to Rs 100.
Also read: Is Sri Lanka’s economic crisis a result of China’s debt-trap diplomacy?
The crisis has also led to hospitals suspending routine surgeries after running out of life-saving medicines.
Schools and colleges had to cancel exams as printing paper has been hard to find.
The situation forced public anger to spill out on the streets, forcing the idyllic nation to see curfews and emergency measures being imposed. The unprecedented violence led to the deaths of eight people and 200 others were injured. It also finally led to the ouster of Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister of Sri Lanka.
Inspired idea?
It seems the Sri Lankan officials took inspiration from Pakistan, which has also imposed a similar restricted workweek in an effort to counter fuel shortages.
Last week, Pakistan said that it would be reverting to an official workweek of five days from six under an energy conservation plan as the nation suffered from a worsening energy crisis that has led to prolonged power cuts and soaring fuel prices.
With inputs from agencies
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