Jakarta – Despite the Jakarta administration's threat to slash the regional performance allowance (TKD) of those who extended their Idul Fitri holiday without notice, thousands of civil servants did not appear on the first day of work on Monday.
Jakarta Employment Agency head Agus Suradika said that the electronic attendance machines recorded 1,527 civil servants who had failed to scan into work without notice.
"It's possible that [the high number of absences] was caused by the [attendance] machine being offline. We will check again," Agus said on Monday, adding that he would also check each working unit (SKPD) to find out which one had to most absentees.
This was usually the education sector as schools were still on holiday, he said. Nevertheless, Agus claimed that the number of absentees this year was fewer than that in 2016.
"Almost 10 percent of civil servants were absent [on the first day back from Idul Fitri] last year. This year, the figure is only 0.6 percent," he said.
"We gave them prior notice and clearly told them they were not allowed to extend their holidays. They could be given heavier sanctions if they continue to [ignore the rules]." (dra)