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Sunday, 02 October 2016

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Corporate survey for f lexi-hours work

Solving traffic congestion:

A survey of big companies is to be conducted by the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project office with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, to decide how to introduce flexible work hours as a part of initiatives to overcome delays caused by the worsening traffic congestion, which city planners say reduces economic efficiency.

“We want to run a survey – targeting big companies which have a large number of workers,” said Head of Investments of the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project office, Nayana Mawilmada. “The survey will be conducted with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce with whom we are having discussions,” he said in an interview with the Business Observer. “It will identify who will benefit through the introduction of flexi hours as some industries may not find it feasible. We want to know how practical it is and how transport can be worked out.” The government and the private sector are considering the introduction of flexible work hours and make more use of digital technology such as video conferencing to get around delays caused by traffic congestion which is becoming worse with the continuing import of private vehicles.

The initiative includes the shift to electronic commerce such as using digital transactions instead of cash or cheques and electronic import-export documentation with a single-window system that has been introduced but is yet to reach its potential, private sector officials said.

Economic planners say delays caused by traffic gridlocks, increases costs for businesses and hampers economic activity which they fear could erode the competitiveness of exporters in international markets.

Mawilmada said that one of the aims of flex-hours would be to reduce the peak time or rush hour traffic, which forces people to waste time on the road.

“We are trying to dull the peak. We want to do it in a very productive way, parallel to the State sector.”

The introduction of flexible and staggered working hours is one of the main proposals of a joint Cabinet Memorandum on the implementation of the comprehensive transport management plan in the Western Region Megapolis which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers a few months ago.

According to the Cabinet paper, “flexible working hours should be introduced in public and private sector institutions to spread the peak load of the traffic flow. This will help the reduction of traffic volume and congestion during peak times by shifting the drivers’ commute to less congested hours and spreading the peak period.”

In an interview with the Business Observer in June, Chairman, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Samantha Ranatunga said the proposal will have huge support from the private sector.

“The entire private sector is willing to take this discussion forward and bring out a workable, practical solution to the traffic issue. It has to be a concerted effort,” he said.

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