Increased Public Protests Against Changes in Office Working Hours; Creating 'Disruption' in Citizens' Lives

According to a survey by a domestic media outlet, the Iranian government's attempt to change the working hours of government offices, public institutions, and banking entities has led to dissatisfaction in society and created 'disruption' in the lives of citizens. The results of the survey published by the Tehran-based newspaper 'Donya-e-Eqtesad' on Saturday, July 8, indicate that the 'abnormal start of working hours (from 6 AM)' has caused 'sleep disruption' among citizens and has had no effect on 'energy savings' at workplaces. Based on the published results of this survey, most participating citizens have called for a 'return to the previous working hours.' Following the decision of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Esfand 1401 (February-March 2023) not to change the official time of the country, which had been in effect for years, the Iranian government made several attempts in the months afterward to control this challenge through controversial regulations and decisions. The initial regulation by President Ebrahim Raisi's government to change the working hours of government offices and public institutions to '6 AM' faced opposition from parts of society. This opposition later encountered legal conflicts, including the reduction of working hours, and faced resistance from some institutions, including the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Judiciary. Nevertheless, it was ultimately implemented and finalized in a modified form by the 'Council of Coordination of the Heads of the Branches.' Despite some amendments to the initial regulation, including the issuance of permits for remote work, the start time for offices remained at 6 AM. In a part of its report on this issue, Donya-e-Eqtesad stated that currently, employees of various agencies are in a situation where some public company employees are present at work until '4 PM' due to overtime, while others are still forced to start work at '6 AM,' which is the end of their sleep hours. Despite having abundant oil and gas resources, Iran has faced a serious crisis in its electricity production and distribution network in recent years, leading to numerous protests over domestic and industrial 'power outages.' In this context, Farid Safari, an energy expert, pointed out the discrepancy between electricity production and consumption in the country, stating that most of Iran's power plants rely on fossil fuels and that outdated, low-efficiency plants need to be decommissioned. The Iranian government and senior officials attempted to alter the conventional working hours of government offices, public institutions, and banking entities through policies known as 'changing working hours' to alter the energy consumption pattern, especially electricity, during the hot months of the year and significantly reduce its consumption. On June 14, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, the Minister of Energy, claimed that the controversial plan to change office working hours would save '1000 megawatts' of electricity in the country. However, on July 2, the National Electricity Network Management Center, affiliated with the Ministry of Energy, announced that Iran's electricity consumption exceeded '68,306 megawatts,' setting a new record. Now, in addition to the failure of the Iranian government's policy to change working hours to reduce energy consumption, citizens have protested against it, deeming it a disruptive decision in their natural sleep and daily life processes.