An additional 8,400 civil servants would benefit from the five-day work week as the government yesterday announced that the implementation of second stage would take effect from January 1, 2007.

The working hours of the 13 departments would be adjusted, with the extension of operation hours during weekdays.

The departments that will have five-day week include Housing Department, Companies Registry, Department of Health, and Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB).

Under the new arrangement, the service hours of students dental health service of the health department would be changed from 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 12 pm on Saturdays, to 8:45 am to 5:30 pm on weekdays (and 5:45 pm on Mondays).

The special education resource centre of EMB would open from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm on Mondays to Thursdays, and to 7:30 pm on Fridays.

The examination service of the Transport Department would not be provided on Saturdays as the number of candidates taking the tests on weekend only accounted for 2 per cent.

The Companies Registry said about 97 per cent of the public used its online company record searching system, indicating it was unnecessary to provide counter service on Saturdays.

In July this year, the government had implemented the five-day week in its first phase. The measure covered about 60,000 civil servants, of which 16,000 still need to work on Saturdays but they were given two rest days a week.

The second stage would benefit 8,400 civil servants, of which 3,700 would still need to work on Saturdays. The final stage would be implemented on July 1 next year.

However, a government source said about one-third of civil servants would still not benefit from the five-day week after the final stage because of their job nature. For example, civil servants working in emergency services and disciplinary forces would not come under the new scheme.

The source said, in order to make the practice fair, staff not benefiting from the practice could be transferred to other jobs covered by the scheme in the same department.

The government had earlier said the working hours of civil servants would not be reduced, and they would not spend extra money to implement the practice. Emergency services would still be provided.

The government hoped that private sector would follow the similar weekly work pattern. The source, however, said the government had not evaluated how many companies had adopted the practice, and would not turn to legislation forcing them to implement it.

The source said more than 6,000 calls had been received by the government hotline 1823 since the scheme was announced in May, but only 130 of them were complaints from public, saying they found it inconvenient that the department did not provide service on Saturdays.

When asked why the students health and dental services were not provided on Saturday, causing inconvenience to working parents, another government source said the public would get used to the practice, and adjust their schedule to the government services accordingly.

Welcoming the five-day work week, Hong Kong Federation of Civil Servants Union Chairman Leung Chau-ting urged for more flexibility. "The working hours for normal days might be extended for about 45 minutes, making it difficult for some colleagues to arrange for family needs," he said.

Legislative public service panel chairman Howard Young also welcomed the arrangement, and believed the public could get used to it.