Over six percent of the Kingdom's public servants, including heads of departments and directors, were absent from work during the first ten days of Ramadan, stated a report by the Control and Investigation Board (CIB). According to Al-Youm newspaper, the field report was compiled by the CIB's 20 branches across the Kingdom. It revealed that a number of government employees were repeatedly absent or failed to report on time. Most of the absentee civil servants work for vital government agencies, delaying much-needed public services. An official source, who declined to give his name, said this year's absenteeism was two percent less than the same period last year. However, he said the CIB's field teams had noticed a great deal of negligence and laziness at most public agencies over the past week. He said the CIB will recommend the Ministry of Civil Servants takes disciplinary action against offending public servants. Penalties include salary cuts. Those government employees who are warned about their behavior and do not respond will have their salaries cut automatically.
