METRIC TIME WORKING
As doubtless you have read in the National Press, from 31st December 2000
the whole of the United Kingdom (but excluding the Isle of Man) will be
converted to Metric Time Working (MTW).
Following the introducton of MTW there will be 10 seconds to the minute; 10
minutes to the hour; 10 hours to the day and so on, delineated as follows:-
OLD TIME CONVERTED TIME
1 second 1 milliday
1 minute 1 centiday
1 hour 1 decaday (or 1 millimonth)
1 day 1 day
1 week 1 dekaday
1 month 1 hectoday
1 year 1 kiloday
Obviously from the Departmental standpoint as one new hour represents only
5/12ths of an old hour, members of the staff may be expected to work longer
hours, eg 3-1/4 decidays (or millimonths) per day. However for
administrative and payroll purposes, it is intended to reduce the mid-day
break by 3/4 of a new hour (3/4 decidays) thus making an MTW working day
equal to 4 new days.
There will be no alteration to either wages or salaries due to the
introduction of MTW except in the special case of Leap Kilodays when
adjustments will be made at the end of every 1.46 decamonths.
Leave entitlement will remain unchanged under MTW. However the following may
prove helpful to staff:-
If the officer's leave entitlement was 22 (pre MTW) days, he will now
receive 220 decidays (or 1 hectoday plus 20 decidays for every hectoday over
and above 20 kilodays service since the 10th deciday of the third hectoday
at the instigation of MTW) or whichever is more convenient bearing in mind
the exingencies of the Service.
Bank Holidays and Privilege Days will of course have to be reduced to 5
decidays but 10 demisemi-decidays will be added to the Christmas entitlement
which will fall on 1st April 2000 (27.5 hectodays being added to allow for
MTW adjustments).
Staff will quickly realise that Saturdays and Mondays will become
transposed. It is pointed out that the "Monday Feeling" will now be felt on
Saturday, and should not affect the new MTW decaday.
Your immediate Supervising Officer will be available on Sunday (the pre-MTW
Wednesday) to answer and/or explain MTW further. Your Supervisor has been
alloted 3 demi-decidays per 100 staff for this purpose.
It cannot be emphasised too strongly that strict adherance to MTW is
mandatory. Staff will soon realise that it is (in the long term) a far
simpler time measurement.