Jamaica – Gov’t still looking at cutting 10,000 jobs

CABINET Secretary Ambassador Douglas Saunders says that the recent removal of 3,000 posts from the civil service establishment was a cleaning-up exercise which would not result in any savings in the current budget or affect the 10,000 jobs targeted under the previous Government.

“The 3,000, as I understand it, represent posts that have been removed from the establishment and which have been vacant for some time,” Saunders said in response to questions from Opposition spokesman on finance Audley Shaw during last Wednesday’s meeting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC), which is looking at recent developments in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).

Asked by Shaw whether there would be any saving in the budget from the removal of the 3,000 posts at this time, Saunders said “No, not at this time”.

“So, any suggestions from any quarter that there is a saving in the budget from those 3,000 posts would be inaccurate, because it is not in the budget at this time,” Shaw persisted, in an obvious reference to indications by minister of finance and planning, Dr Peter Phillips, in the House of Representatives that the removal of the posts would create savings in the budget.

“No. I think that they are cleaning the slate with respect to posts which have been vacant for some years,” Saunders said…

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Gov-t-still-looking-at-cutting-10-000-jobs_12748876