Iraq minimizes work hours due to hot summer
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, decided that official working hours in state offices be lowered by one hour during the summer due to the high temperatures.
The Council of Ministers’ General Secretariat mentioned in a statement that state institutions business hours will be from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. in all Iraqi governorates except the capital, Baghdad.
Normally, working hours in Iraq are from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Iraqi capital is not part of the current decision since working hours underwent control in April, adopting different starting and finishing times based on government institutions to reduce traffic congestion.
However, working hours in Baghdad will be adjusted to start one hour sooner and conclude two hours earlier, resulting in one hour less work for employees.
The Iraqi Prime Minister also allowed governors to completely cease working hours in all public institutions on days when the temperature hits 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) or more.
Ministers may also extend working hours in circumstances of urgency and in conformity with the law.
The new modifications will take effect on Sunday and last until the end of August.
In August 2023, the temperature in the governorates of Basra, Maysan, Dhi Qar, and Muthanna reached 52 degrees Celsius (125.6 degrees Fahrenheit), exceeding half the boiling point.
According to reports issued by the United Nations, Iraq is one of the five countries most vulnerable to desertification and climate change in the world, especially with long heat waves, low rainfall, a lack of fertile lands, soil salinity, transboundary water retreat, and the spread of dust storms.
