Repeated Changes to Office Hours; An Economic Expert: The Country is Managed Like 'Heads or Tails'

Simultaneously with the agreement of the heads of the three branches of the Islamic Republic to calculate a 44-hour 'difference in working hours' for remote employees, the Administrative and Recruitment Organization announced '1 PM' as the end of office hours. According to the official website 'Shenasnameh Gavan', Meysam Latifi, the head of the Administrative and Recruitment Organization, issued a circular dated July 5th to 'executive bodies, banks, municipalities, and other public institutions', 'amending' the controversial decision from March 18, 2023, by the government of Ebrahim Raisi. In this circular, the deputy of the Islamic Republic's government only announced the 'end of office hours' and remained silent about the 'start of work'. This circular also issued a permit for 'remote work' to compensate for the remaining hours. The repeated changes to office hours in the past three months, justified by energy-saving measures, have caused confusion and protests across various sectors of society from the outset. The latest decision by officials has turned these changes into a subject of humor. Siamak Qasemi, an economic expert, reacted to the latest decision by officials to again amend office hours in a tweet, stating: 'The country is beautifully managed like 'heads or tails'! Following the approval of the law not to change the official time of the country in the last weeks of March 2023, there were many protests against this action by the Islamic Consultative Assembly, with many citizens, experts, and social media users considering this issue to cause disruptions in the following months. Shortly after, the Islamic Republic government approved a controversial decision to compensate for the actions of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, announcing that the start time for government offices and public institutions in the summer would be '6 AM'. In addition to public opposition to this decision by Ebrahim Raisi's government, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also opposed parts of this decision in a letter on June 24 and called for its amendment. On the other hand, despite the initial opposition from other institutions such as the judiciary to the decision to change office hours, they were ultimately forced to implement it after amending parts of the initial decision. However, according to the 'House of the Nation' news agency affiliated with the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Hossein Goudarzi, the spokesperson for the Social Commission, reported on Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf's proposal to calculate the 44-hour 'difference' in working hours in the form of 'remote work' for employees in the 'recent meeting of the heads of the branches', with Ebrahim Raisi's approval to 'return employees' working hours to normal'. The return of office hours to the previous routine and the amendment of the controversial decision known as '6 AM' has also faced reactions on social media. One user, in this regard, tweeted that the series of decisions regarding working hours is an example of the 'governance' style of the Islamic Republic officials, stating: 'Generalize it to forty-one years...'. Ali Shariati, a member of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, also reacted to this decision by Ebrahim Raisi in the meeting of the heads of the Islamic Republic branches, writing: 'The government has been freed from a self-created margin!!' Meysam Latifi, the head of the Administrative and Recruitment Organization, issued the permit for the repeated change in office hours in order to 'maintain the stability of the national electricity network and reduce the imbalance between electricity production and consumption', while Ali Akbar Mehrabian, the Minister of Energy in Ebrahim Raisi's government, claimed on June 14 that implementing the plan to change office hours would save '1000 megawatts' in the country's electricity network. Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, spokesperson for the electricity industry and CEO of the state-owned Iran Electricity Network Management Company, reported in mid-June about cutting electricity to 'high-consumption' offices and reconnecting their electricity with a commitment from the 'highest responsible authority of the office' to comply with consumption. The newspaper 'Donya-e-Eqtesad' published in Tehran, in its April 8 issue, criticized that government decision, stating: 'It seems that the government has considered the worst working hour model for managing electricity consumption in the hot months of the year' and could have reduced employees' working hours in the afternoon instead of setting the hardest start time, thus facilitating 'enhancing employees' work efficiency'. The government's efforts to save electricity and prevent repeated protests have disrupted working hours in Iran in recent months and have led to protests. Farid Safari, an energy expert, recently told Voice of America that electricity production in Iran is less than consumption. According to him, Iran's power plants are outdated and their efficiency is around 20 to 30 percent, and Iran has not made significant progress in renewable energy. For example, Turkey, despite having less potential, produces electricity from solar energy.