Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has directed a reduction in official working hours across Iraq, taking into account the rising temperatures, especially during peak hours, with the aim of easing the burden on citizens in general and employees in particular, and to rationalize electrical energy consumption.
According to a statement from the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister ordered that the official working hours in all government institutions in the provinces, except for the capital Baghdad, will start at 7:00 AM and end at 1:00 PM.
Al-Sudani also authorized the governors to suspend official working hours in all government institutions, including central departments not affiliated with the province, operating in their provinces on days when temperatures exceed 50 degrees Celsius.
The Prime Minister ordered that "work continues in all government institutions in the capital Baghdad, according to the aforementioned times in accordance with the Council of Ministers decision (24213) of 2024, while considering the following two amendments: to advance the start time of official working hours by one hour as per the classification mentioned in the aforementioned decision, and to reduce the official working hours by one hour at the end of the working day, making the end of work two hours earlier than the previously applied time (one hour due to the advancement and one additional hour due to the reduction)".
According to the Council of Ministers statement, the official working hours will follow the mentioned timings from Sunday, June 23, 2024, until Thursday, August 29, 2024, after which the previously applicable timings will resume. The relevant minister has the right to extend work outside the mentioned timings in cases of necessity, in accordance with the law.
