Sri Lanka announces four-day work week over fuel-shortage fears if war drags on
The Straits Times
The new austerity measures will apply to schools and universities, and remain in place indefinitely. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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COLOMBO – Sri Lanka announced a shorter work week to conserve its scarce fuel reserves as it prepares for a prolonged war in the Middle East, officials said on March 16.
The Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which some 20 per cent of global exports pass in peacetime, has been effectively closed by Iran in retaliation over the US and Israeli war against it, now in its third week.
Commissioner-General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi said state institutions will operate only four days a week starting on March 18.
The new austerity measures will also apply to schools and universities, and will remain in place indefinitely.
“We are also asking the private sector to follow suit and declare every Wednesday a holiday from now on,” Mr Chandrakeerthi told reporters after an emergency meeting chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
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