A decree issued on Monday by the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Syrian Republic extending official working hours for public sector employees has triggered widespread concern among state workers. Many fear the decision will worsen already strained living conditions and disrupt family responsibilities at a time of depressed salaries and soaring living costs.

For countless civil servants, second jobs have become essential to compensate for low wages. Working mothers, in particular, are struggling to reconcile longer office hours with childcare, raising fundamental questions about the value of extending the workday without increasing pay.

Under the new directive, the workday now ends at 4:00 PM instead of 3:00 PM, while the standard weekend on Friday and Saturday remains unchanged.

In testimonies gathered by Syria TV from employees at the Syrian Telecom Company and the Damascus Governorate, staff expressed deep anxiety over falling effective hourly wages, the potential loss of secondary income, and the growing difficulty of managing household demands.

Unlivable Wages and Forced Extra Hours

Hiba (a pseudonym), an employee at the Syrian Telecom Company, described the extension of work hours as unfair to staff already struggling with stagnant wages and rising living costs.

She told Syria TV that her monthly salary barely covers two days of basic expenses, noting that her rent alone exceeds her entire income. She argued that demanding longer hours imposes an additional burden on workers who had hoped for salary increases to meet essential needs rather than being asked to spend more time in government offices.

Samer (a pseudonym), who works for the Damascus Governorate, voiced similar concerns. He said his salary covers only five days of monthly expenses and questioned the rationale behind requiring additional work hours without adjusting wages to meet month‑long needs.

Telecom Workers Tested the Extended Hours Early

For employees at the Syrian Telecom Company, the shift to a 4:00 PM finish is not entirely new. Workers told Syria TV that their workday had already been extended from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM about six weeks before the decree was issued.

Their experience offers early insight into the daily ramifications of longer shifts, particularly regarding childcare, family organisation, and secondary livelihoods.

One female employee noted that her monthly salary stands at 25,000 new Syrian pounds. She highlighted stark wage disparities across public institutions, pointing out that workers in other state entities earn as little as 12,000 pounds per month. These discrepancies intensify concerns about hourly wage rates when work time increases without a corresponding pay adjustment.

What Is a Public Employee’s Hourly Rate Worth?

The impact of extended work hours is not limited to additional time spent in offices. If salaries remain fixed, the effective hourly wage declines.

Based on calculations by Syria TV using a 22‑day work month, an employee earning 25,000 new Syrian pounds daily across seven hours earns approximately 162 pounds per hour. An employee earning 12,000 pounds earns around 78 pounds per hour.

When daily hours increase from seven to eight without a pay raise, the hourly rate drops to roughly 142 pounds for the 25,000‑pound tier and 68 pounds for the 12,000‑pound tier. This amounts to an effective wage reduction of about 12.5 percent per hour worked.

These calculations assume actual working hours over a standard monthly schedule with fixed salaries, excluding breaks, deductions, or allowances.

Children Waiting at the Neighbour’s Door

Reem (a pseudonym), a telecom employee and mother of three primary‑school children, has already experienced the consequences of the 4:00 PM shift.

She explained that her children return from school before her workday ends, forcing them to wait at a neighbour’s home until she arrives. She said the arrangement causes her ongoing embarrassment despite relying on her neighbour’s generosity.

The delayed return home prolongs her children’s wait and increases her dependence on external help. Reem’s responsibilities do not end at the office door; her evenings involve cooking, cleaning, and supervising schoolwork. She stressed that working schedules should account for parents with young children, particularly working mothers who shoulder domestic care alongside public employment.

Her experience reflects broader global trends. A 2018 International Labour Organization (ILO) report found that women perform 76.2 percent of all unpaid care work worldwide—more than three times the time devoted by men.

An Extra Hour Threatens Secondary Income

For Maher (a pseudonym), the extended hours pose a direct threat to his evening job, which he relies on to supplement his primary income.

He told Syria TV that under the previous schedule, he would return home, have lunch, rest briefly, and then leave for his second job. The shift to a 4:00 PM finish significantly compresses the time available between jobs. He said he would prefer a one‑hour pay cut over extended working hours if given the choice.

Nawras (a pseudonym), a Damascus Governorate employee, expressed similar fears, saying the extra hour might force him to abandon his second job altogether. Because his public sector hourly rate is minimal compared to his secondary income, any potential increase in government pay would likely fail to compensate for the loss of his evening work.

Economic Viability of Extended Work Hours

Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohammad, Professor of Finance and Banking at the Faculty of Economics at Hama University, argues that extending working hours in public institutions does not guarantee improved productivity unless accompanied by administrative reforms addressing weak accountability, lack of performance‑based incentives, and bloated bureaucratic structures.

He told Syria TV that an additional hour produces physical presence rather than productivity under current structural conditions. He added that longer hours could exacerbate exhaustion among employees who rely on secondary jobs to survive.

Dr. Mohammad also noted that longer workdays generate additional operational costs for state institutions, including electricity, heating, air conditioning, water, and maintenance, raising questions about the economic returns of the decision relative to its expense.

He said institutions must calculate the net added value of the extra hour by comparing completed services to operational costs. Without precise productivity indicators, demonstrating that returns exceed costs remains difficult.

He recommended adopting performance metrics such as transactions completed per employee, service processing times, error and complaint rates, absenteeism, and operational cost per transaction. Rather than simply increasing hours, he suggested streamlining government procedures, reducing multi‑layered administrative approvals, expanding digital automation, and linking incentives to output.

He concluded that extending working hours without structural reform addresses a symptom rather than the root cause, emphasising that effective administration depends on output rather than attendance.

Do Longer Hours Mean Higher Productivity?

The extension of working hours raises broader questions about the relationship between time spent at the workplace, productivity levels, and work‑life balance.

In a January 2023 report titled Working Time and Work‑Life Balance Around the World, the ILO noted that working longer hours than desired is associated with reduced work‑life balance. The report advocated for flexible work arrangements, including flexible schedules and remote work, citing benefits for both employees and employers.

While these findings do not automatically imply reduced productivity in Syrian institutions, they highlight the importance of structuring work schedules around worker realities rather than hours alone.

Legal Foundations in Syrian Law

The Basic Law for State Employees No. 50 of 2004 and its amendments remain the legal reference for public employment in Syria, forming the basis for 2026 administrative decrees while a new civil service law is being drafted.

Article 42 specifies that actual working hours should not exceed eight hours per day or 48 hours per week, allowing for exceptions by Cabinet decision. These hours exclude designated meal and rest periods.

Article 43 mandates a paid weekly rest period of no less than one day, accounting for entities requiring continuous service provision. On this basis, the current adjustments to working hours remain legally grounded.

 

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.