Business representatives back civil service cuts
(CNS): The first public comments from the private sector regarding government plans to cut civil service salaries and reduce public spending has come from the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce, which has offered its full support. The body which speaks for Cayman’s commercial community said that it has long advocated a reduction in Cayman’s public sector and the divestment of some of the services into the private sector, which the Chamber says will improve efficiency and cut costs.
The Chamber also said it was pleased to see the elected arm of government living up to the promises made during the election campaign, especially at its candidate forums.
The Chamber said it welcomes the premier’s decision to reduce MLA salaries by 20-30%% and to begin paying half of their health insurance premiums, which they said was a welcome first response to the budget challenges and should send a clear message to the civil service and all statutory authorities.
“Reducing Government spending is critical and the Chamber congratulates the Premier and the Government for taking a leadership role in driving change. This decision is in keeping with the election promises that were expressed by most of the candidates during the Chamber’s District Candidates Forums held in April 2009,” the Chamber stated.
The Chamber said that for many years it had called for government to reduce spending, build up national reserves and to operate under the same set of rules as the private sector as well as adopt privatization. “Unfortunately, successive Governments have dismissed or failed to acknowledge the warnings and continued to add layers of non-essential activities and additional workers to the long list of services; many of which can be performed by the private sector at considerable savings and with improved efficiencies,” the chamber said in a statement.
It also stated that it believed government should identify assets that could be sold outright or part privatized through public offerings to reduce public debt. “By introducing this approach, local residents and businesses will be able to become direct shareholders of several important national assets and Government would reduce its direct operational costs,” the Chamber urged.
The Chamber said it was opposed to any more pressure on business especially additional revenue measures without a definitive plan to cut costs and reduce debt. The Chamber said it was against additional general, corporate or any form of taxes on income, interbank transactions, payroll or property.
In terms of future business development, the Chamber expressed its support for the development of cruise berthing, medical tourism development, convention facilities, waterfront redevelopment in George Town, attracting the reinsurance sector and additional private trust business. It also pledged its full support to addressing the crime issue that threatens to destabilize the society and drive away business and revisions to immigration policies.
The Chamber also said it supported government efforts to develop investment policies and to support small business development and it was pleased government had adopted many of the strategies outlined during meetings with the organization in September. The Chambersaid as the representative of a broad cross section of the business community it believed it could work with government to address the current challenges.
Read full statement from the Chamber of Commerce
Category: Business
I’m appalled at the comments in reference to the “Admin Assistant”. I don’t think receiving $3,500.00 a month for working within a public service for over 20 years is being over paid as some of you have insinuated. And to even bring up the fact that having children should matter or play a part in what income, or what schools the children should attend is ridiculous! Are we in the stone ages?! We all want the best for our children and it seems like the poster is making sacrifices to ensure his/her children have a bight education (please don’t fault anyone for that).
YES, government should make cuts, there’s no dispute about that, but carefully look at how they do that. The “waste” needs to be looked at first!
– Get rid of the million dollar cost of cell phones. Not everyone in government needs to have a black berry to fulfil their job and for those who do, budget for a realistic allowance to be given.
– Sell off the non essential government vehicles, does every department need them? If they do once again, budget for a car allowance but only if the job requires a car to fulfil the job description. The vehicles should then be kept on compound when not carrying out job specific duties.
_ Stop duplicating jobs within civil service. Does every ministry and all of the gov’t. departments need a Chief Financial Officer, Asst. Financial officer, Chief HR Manager, Asst. HR manager and an HR officer? I think some of these jobs could be combined within the service.
People don’t mind having to compromise but they first want to know that all of the other factors have been looked before announcing that in less than a month they will receive a pay cut and have to contribute to their health scheme. This has put a lot of people into panic mode and that’s not necessarily the most practical way of administering “CHANGE” I think even Chamber Members would agree to that.
So anyway, made a few calls this morning to check on a few things.
Turns out that the bank is not willing to reduce my mortgage by 10%, the insurance company wasn’t interested in cutting my premium by 10%, the Saudis are not willing to reduce the price of Crude by 10% and I can’t even get Larry to give me a little 10% off the bicycle I’m going to be needing. Did get a letter from the schools though. "Due to the rising costs in Cayman, we have decided to increase fees by 2%"
Sweet, here’s hoping for a quiet Hurricane Season and/or a healthy bank account for the Relief Fund.
you think that is bad at least you have a job with free health and pension…some of us in the private sector only have been laid off from our jobs can get part time work and we don’t have the luxuries of you civil servants..
Get a life! Stop living high on the hog and remember that there are people worse off than. Such ungratefulness!!
It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to. I couldn’t give a rats XXX about the poor little cry babies in the Private Sector. You reap what you sow. All those who have been taking annual bonuses bigger than many Civil Servants annual salaries deserve whatever they get. You think I care if they lose their jobs? Hell no. Twas greed that brought them down.
As for the idiots at the Chamber, if you want small businesses shutdown, you are going the right way about it.
With respect to Mac’s hairbrained discounts by merchants for Civil Servants. I can’t even begin to imagine the potential for abuse.
You, you just sound like you want a Civil Service job and can’t get one. Get in line.
LMAO look at the pot calling the kettle black. And you are soooo misinformed. Just as with government, the only ones taking home the big fat pay checks and bonuses in the private sector are the big wigs. Us little people have had no rises, no bonuses, had to work overtime for free, pay our own health and pension contributions, and are expected to squeeze a week’s work into a day, and many have lost their jobs completely. We not talking ex pats here, you seem to forget that your fellow Caymanians also work in the private sector and they are suffering just as much, if not more than you.
I am a Civil Servant for the past 20 years. My salary was frozen about 10 years ago. I am paid $3500 to be an Admin Assistant and I have two children in school.
I was shocked to hear on the news that my salary was being cut. How many private sector employees has that happen to?
I was equally shocked to see that the Chamber has supported the cuts. Don’t they know what a dramatic effect this will have on their members? I just cancelled plans to install a security system and will now shop less at Fosters.
I just hope that all the official travel that is going on will now come to an end. But I know that the private sector employees looks forward to all their marketing trips- hooya!!
I’m in the wrong business – $3500 to be an Admin Assistant? No wonder the Civil Service can’t afford it’s staff……
I don’t know whose salary that is but I’m an Admin assistant and I don’t even make $3000.
What a great example of the ridiculous cost of the Cayman civil service! US$52,500 (effectively AFTER tax) for an administrative assistant. That would equate in the US to about $75,000 for a glorified office clerk!
XXXXX
The myth about the impact on the wider economy is lost on these people in the public sector – the money for their wages comes out of the pockets of private sector businesses, so the net effect of these sensible reforms will be a benefit for these businesses and the wider economy.
PS: Marketing should lead to a net inflow of income to a business and is therefore not a cost. XXXX
If this civil servant is capable and has been working for 20 years and probably has a family to support why in God’s name do you belittle her for earning $3500. XXXXX
Because the economic value of the job does not justify the salary. I do not expect extra pay because I choose to have children or simply because I have performed the same role for a long time.
A glorified officer clerk are you kidding me??? Those comments demonstrates the complete disconnect between the private sector and the public service. The civil service does not need sophisticated job titles to get around work permit requirements. I challenge anyone in the private sector to do my job for a day and they would ask for a pay rise. In the Public Service we do not get a house and our children school fees paid for.
Shame on the private sector for supporting pay cuts for our teachers, police, immigration and other law enforcement agencies. These are the people that you look to for care and protection. Good luck!
It is a simple fact of economics that a government administrative assistant should not expect a salary that allows two children to be sent to private school.
As usual, the little person is going to suffer, the ones sitting in high places with good connections will not feel a damn thing. Even if there is a salary cut for them, I am sure it will be made up some roudabout way. Why would any dept head continue to be paid and getting perks when he/she couldn’t keep the dept under control in the first instance?
How about no more travels on first or business class for ANYONE?
Take cell phones from all non-essential staff, and pull in EVERY gasoline card that was ever issued!
No more sweetheart deals with some businesses!
Start cutting salary on the top. Everyone that makes above CI$ 100,000/year shouldbe the first ones to feel it!
I am sick and tired that WE have to pay for politicians being idiots and morons, greedy and self-serving!
Ah spoken like a true member of the Party.
The fact of life is that the people at the top of the pyramid make a difference and that difference drives their economic value. Scarcity and difference = the big $. Admin clerks may be good people, but almost anyone can do their job and their specific contribution is of little impact. So the better idea for an effective civil service would be to pay the top end staff well and to cut the costs lower down.
Economic reality – it is not a pleasant thing. The little person has no leverage because there are so many little people.
Spoken like a true elitist.
Bye the way…
All those little people you’re talking about big person?
They make for a great revolution! And always have.
We’ll know where to find you.
Somewhere near the top??
The Time has come for Trade Unions. Civil Service Association has yet to speake to the Civil servants and arrange a meeting what are they doing for us? NOTHING! this is a clear breech of the terms and conditions of employment! I say we SICK OUT!!! All Schools, Police, Nurses! This is bull-crap! Step up CICSA? whats up??? you going to acept this?
Over 4-5,000 jobs have been lost in the Cayman Islands over the last 2 years. The private sector has been shedding work permits like crazy.. You should be lucky you have a job and not out looking for one right now. You must get real.
I really hope that the GOVERNMENT stop and look at this from ALL corners before going ahead .A friend was sharing with me last night her pay will be cut back 700 that seems small to some but that is BIG to someone who lives from pay check to pay check and one more child to finish school.Will Mackeeva work with ALL BANKS to have people loans ajusted to then match their saleries.Or will he work with family services to increase the list of hand outs as we all know this will increase.Or better yet will he work with immigration toweed out all those bogus NO GOOD status give away people that are just living off the government system and sending home what they work for. XXXXX
$700 pay cut, try being cut altogether! that is is life in the private sector everyday folks and you civil servants have been living high on the hog for too long. Start paying your own pension and health care. Out here in the private sector $700 would be eaten up in pension and health payments in no time. And please, don’t give me the crap that you don’t earn as much as the private sector, we see the job postings and the salaries. why do you think it is that everyone want to work for government now…good salaries, free health and pension and no chance of ever getting fired. I wish I could lower my standards and apply too but I will continue torise above that thought!
Readers. Have a look at this link on the Government website.
http://www.recruitment.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,1941597&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
How does Government have the audacity to advertise to hire (or re-hire) more civil servants. If these are adverts to re-hire contracted officers, DO NOT RENEW THEM. If they are adverts to bring new people in from overseas, cancel the adverts and hold off on any new posts. This GOvernment is talking about pay-cuts on the one hand and hiring on the other. That doesn’t make sense.
CI$75,000 for an administrator. Plus all those ridiculous perks! What a joke.
A recently established commission? Is this Hazzard’s "Fair Trade" (ie protectionist) body.
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ADVISOR
Salary $71,688 – $87,336
Talk about obfuscation! WHAT in God’s name is a Management Advisor???
The Manager…..heaven knows what they make….needs an advisor????
To what??????
"Sir???"
"Yes trusted advisor??"
"It’s lunchtime. Will that be all?"
"Yes, thank you. I’ll be back at three-thirty."
They must stay awake at night dreaming these jobs up!!!
I’ll give those Managers in need of an advisor some advice.
And it’s FREE
GET A REAL JOB!!!!
Many private sector businesses in the Cayman Islands offer 100% health insurance to their employees the equivalent to that of civil servants so why therefore is there this public out cry that we civil servants should pay for our health insurance. As a civil servant I have no intention of paying one penny towards my health coverage. I will take a pay cut but am not willing to pay any contribution towards health coverage. That was part and parcel of why many civil servants took the job – for less pay than what they could have got in the private sector so they could get the medical benefits. Having said that if we have to pay for our health then we MUST be able to chose which doctor and which medical facility we can use whether it be here or abroad. They cant expect us to pay and then dictate which doctor to use. If they open it up they may just be surprised that their government doctors will be without work as most will probably opt for the private sector doctors. I do also believe that the Public Service Management Law would have to be changed to force civil servants to pay for their health coverage.
I see that the Chamber is celeberating the cut of civil servants salary, well I sure hope when their members begin to complain that business is slow and their businesses are going bankrupt because i don’t know too many Caymanians in either the private sector or civil service whose monthly disposable income is more than the projected percentage cut. I like the rest of us whose salary is being reduced will not be going to the restaurants, icecream parlors, beauty salons, supermarkets jewelery shops etc.. as often as last month.
Oh and by the way would the president and manager of the Chamber please identify three services currently provided by Government and the civil servants that their members would like to purchase and can deliver to us the consuming public cheaper than the Government does. If and when finance Committee is held I will recommend to the UDP Government that they be sold with the appropiate price controls recommended by the chamber to ensure they will be cheaper to the consuming public.
Of course the police force must solve the crime at less salary, but they will not accept the challenge I put to the President some two months ago to have all their members install CCTV on the exterior of all their busines to provide monitoring of the streets for the police to help them apprehend criminals.
Whoever wrote this should be ashamed of themselves for impersonating Ezzard Miller.
Certainly this member of the government would be too busy trying to deal with the financial crisis in the country and the North side crime wave to waste their time trading barbs on a web site.
As well his Tuesday mornings are already booked on the radio.
Of course he realizes the dire financial condition of the country and just how close the government is to initiating a form of direct taxation which will forever change the face of the country.
Any direct taxation will need to include all residents in the country and once the direct taxation door is opened it will never be closed.
WOW! A detailed response from the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. It is a pity that such details were omitted or ignored in the response to the Auditor General’s Report on Boatswains Beach. Also, what specifically did you not agree with in relation to the Auditor General’s report on the Royal Watler Cruise Terminal? The Public has a right to know.
The chamber is one of the main reasons why Govt has grown to the size it has. look at their new magaizine and you will see they are urging for Govt to implement yet another brand new service. So ironic.
The fact of the matter is that the civil service grows as a direct result of govt policies. These policies are often driven by public demands as well as from special interest groups like the Chamber of Commerce itself. Everyone applauded the financial and public service reforms, but all they did was expand the size of the service and leave us without an audited annual account ever since. The introduction of Freedom of Information and the new Constitution have both caused and still creating new posts and other expenses within government. Government hived off all the money making entities into statutory authorities at the urginmg of the private sector and these agencies often find createive ways to spend their income and profit to mimimize the amounts paid to central Govt (we have our own lessons in tax avoidance!)
One thing is for sure, running govt is infinitely more complex than running a business. Right now if we were strictly a business, our decsions would be simple.
We desperately need a stimulous package to get us through these tough times. If you cut the civil service this will create less spending with our merchants etc and they will cut back onimports and staff, which in turn all causes a decrease in govt revenue. This downward spiral then picks up speed and you are then forced to cut even more govt expenditure and staff and it just gets worse.
Increase our revenues by allowing the private sector to become more competitive and by increasing their investments. We also need govt departments to improve customer service to the people who pay their salaries.
Ezzard, niether you McKeeva, Kurt, Alden, Chuckie or any of you politicians wannabe politicians and past sore losers will ever have the balls to do what needs to be done to right our country by putting the reigns on the civil service.
How can you condone the size of the Civil Service and the internal policies of being there full of benefits until you die and then your relatives continue to live off you or should I say the Government (us the people)
I say enough of this crap. Civil Servants including you have had it too good for too long. Everyone knows there is good and bad amongst them and we know those that work and don’t work. Why can’t we start by cutting the fat. Just like any good business would do and most have done you do what is best for your survival and by that I don’t mean your political survival but the survival of this country.
Are we going to continue to grow the civil service until there is nothing left for the private sector to do.
Here’s a couple of suggestions start by telling all newly hired orto be hired civil servants that they will have to pay pension and insurance. Close down CINICO and let them have their choice of insurance companies in the market. Offer private doctors certain perks and space in the hospital in return for offering their services free of charge to the indigent.
Ezzard, you don’t need the civil servants to get re-elected, I believe you can do that on your own merit. This is not about bashing the Chamber of Commmerce. This is about listening to the many succcessful private sector business people. the same people that inject millions of dollars every day so that we have the luxury of so many civil servants. would it hurt to listen or to take a page out of their book?
I say it’s time to reduce the Civil Service and let the chips fall where they may. McKeeva, if you do it now they may not thank you at the next election but in subsequent years when they find out how close to the brink we were and why making a tough decision was necessary many will be grateful to you for saving our country.
To Ezzard, I say I hold no malice towards you but unfortunately you still have the trappings of a seasoned politician looking for one thing above all else and that is preservation of one’s seat and self. Doesn’t always work as you will well remember!
Ezzard – you are completely correct. The private sector that are paying ridiculous bonus’ to all staff have been able to make million based on the country having a credible civil service. Its time that the private sector businesses in the legal and financial sectorsthat have benefitted greatly and who can afford to contribute do so at this time as they are also the ones that play political fence-hoping depending upon the party of the day. when fire services and police cannot respond to their needs i hope that they rememebr that they (the private sector businesses) supported the salary and benefits reduction. i hope that they also do not complain when their revenues are curtailed because of lack of spending. any educated, intelligent financial services official should know that in a time of recession you need the public to spend…thisaction will ensure that the country is driven into a full blown recession and it will be the fault of the financial geniuses that have dictated this action. there are alternatives if the powers that be want to be serious about curtailing spending, cut the unnecessary trips, the rewards to policital supportors, temporarily suspend all non-essential expenditure items. get real and not hurt the CAYMANIANS anymore.
Ezzard?? You go to a jewelery shop once a month??? I don’t think I’ve been in a jewelry shop once in the past six years. Then I don’t make nearly as much as an MLA.
And…is your premise we should continue to pay for a gigantic Civil Service? So there is more money to go around?
Obviously we should have two or three stores on the island and of course a jewelry store. And everyone else can work for the government.
There you have it. A balanced economy.
First ????? I had thought from your postings Cayman Finance had been asserting this position for months.
Credit where credit is due Cayman Finance had been speaking out re this over the last few months.
DON’T CONFUSE CIVIL SERVICE CUTS WITH SALARIES. THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS ADVOCATING "the divestment of some of the services into the private sector."
I AM 100% FOR THIS!
It was my understanding that during the span of the previous government the number within the civil service grew by over 40%.
It would be my pleasure to be incorrect in this understanding as it was told to me by another.
This is correct. The previous Government insisted on moving forward with the Public Management Finance Law which saw the service grow mostly by foreign upper-level management (ie high salaries) who have come here to implement a completely flawed system of budgeting which has cost the country millions of dollars and has reduced the effectiveness of service delivery. Stick with accrual accounting and get rid of the rest of FMI, including the high-paid gum-smackers that think they can tell Cabinet what to do. Send them home. This will reduce Government’s salaries expenditure, get rid of the unnecessary burdens of FMI as well as improve civil service morale. Just ask a few seasoned Heads of Department what they think of the FMI system and how getting rid of it will save Government millions of dollars.
The usual complete nonsense from Fri 23:18 about the Public Management and Finance Law which many countries are looking at us to copy because of its stress on responsible fiscal management of public funds.
Cayman’s problem is we didn’t realise how useless those "seasoned (ie content to have done nothing managerial in their entire life while collecting the huge salary) Heads of Department" he/she mentions would be and how hostile they would be to anything like this Law which required them to report regularly on what they were doing (HORRORS!!!) with the millions of dollars the public was entrusting them to spend on their behalf and therefore (DOUBLE HORRORS!) be accountable to the taxpayer. Their answer? Do nothing. Complain about the Law. Put obstacles in the way of people implementing it. Say it’s not Caymanian (always a terrific success). Refuse to produce accounts because, sob sob, gulp, gulp,it’s too difficult and complicated. Get back to the good old days when no one knew where the money was going but it was fine if you could account for the fact that you spent it in accordance with "established procedures".
And these people responsible to the public for this expenditure-Chief Officers- all earn more than $130,000 a year. The less senior heads of department only earn about $95,000-$120,000. So that’s all right then.
Ah so it go.
With all that is said about the pay cuts I’m wondering to myself does this mean the RCIPS salaries will be cut too? The reason I asked is because this will only discourage them to perform knowing that they are already discriminated and now salary deduction. I believe some salaries need to be cut, but not the middle or low man. Come on Bush where’s the common sense!
I’M sorry but the private sector need to take a large view of there self and the civil servants.Before go agreeing with and one regarding salary cuts first of all civil servants has medical but thru who cinico not like you all private sectors maybe some of us is lucky to have spouces that work for private sectors and can afford to add theres to there insurance just to have that little extra coverage. People who works in private sector looks forward to there little increase at the begining of the year we goes for years with out one and then the little bit of money we are making you want to cut it by 5 -10-15% please go straight ahead but wont be only the civil servants loosing at this game so will the private sectors like the banks/ water companies / light then what ?
In the Cayman civil service basic written English appears to be optional.
0845 – I think everyone is fully aware that is jobs that need to be cut, not salaries. Somebody got to find the cojones to do it now. It should have started a year or two back with the non-renewal of contracts in non essential positions, most of which I suspect would be in the mid-management level. There are a lot of chefs in those offices, not so many cooks. It’s not the front line staff who have created this monster although admittedly many of them are little more use than tits on a bull.
How many "Senior Policy Advisers" does one really need at the end of the day?
I am a contracted Civil Servant by the way and selfishly I say, jobs must go.
Look at the average total compensation per public employee, compare it with any profitable enterprise in the private sector and you will see that remuneration has to be looked into, specially issues like no contribution to pension and health like all the rest of us do.
Let me be clear both need to be looked into, how do you justify growing from 3100 employees in the central government in 05 to more than 3800 a few years later in the middle of a global recesion?
"and the divestment of some of the services into the private sector"
So not at all self serving…
Does anyone know whether all that construction at the Premier’s personal residence which is being paid for by taxpayer money is being undertaken by PWD, or was did it go to a private contractor? If it did go to a private contractor, was it tendered?
Moreover does he have planning permission?
congratulations to the government for making the move, but we know this only came about because chuckie going to march on them…so Mac can win back some favour…
"The chamber says it welcomes the premier’s decision to reduce MLA’s salary by 20-30%…………. and should send a clear message to the civil service…." Please note the following: The Premier will not be affected by his gracious cut of 30%
While the MLA’s have been getting fat raises, the salaries of civil servants have been frozen since 2001 – yes that was under the UDP reign then too, to improve what???? In 9 years there has been no increase in salaries and now he wants to cut by 5, 10, 15 %. Their cut still leaves them with a large enough salary and most of them ,if not all , own private enterprises as well. 5, 10, 15 % cut for the remainder of the civil service is a big deal as those people are living month to month trying to make ends meet.
If you don’t like a pay cut, as a Civil Servant,…
…then resign and go to work in the private sector where you’ll be lucky to find a job paying 70% of what you’re now getting…
In addition, you’ll have to pay your share of health and pension contributions and your pension fund will no longer be guaranteed, no matter what happens, as it is today…
So, please, join the private sector crowd and watch your pension fund crumble, like the rest of us…
Civil Servants that leave the Civil Service for the private sector make more money in the Private sector.
So leave then!
"So leave then!"
No need to be rude. It’s just what I have heard from Civil Servants that left and went to work in the private sector. For example, my nephew made about 4,000 no college degree as a errand boy for a law firm.
To Save Cayman now ,Of course you would be willing to give up your private sector job to a civil servant .After all that should save your boss a little money and thats what it’s all about.
thats up to the boss and the quality of the ex-civil servant employee….. for some reasoni don’t feel threatened….
To Anon Sun 18:15 You should be thinking about it.
And there is the true value of our immigration system, a competent civil servant replacing a competent expat on a work permit on next renewal. I have sympathy, but is that not what HAS to be done?.
You are wrong. Civil Servants have received cost of living every year until a couple of years go. What stopped in 2001 was the increment system whereby pay rises (over and above inflation) were given to everyone annually, regardless of whether they performed or not. At least now to get a pay-rise you have to get promoted or take on more taxing roles.
BEG TO DIFFER….. CIVIL SERVANTS HAVE NOT RECEIVED COST OF LIVING EVERY YEAR !!!! WONDER WHERE YOU GOT THAT DUMB IDEA FROM??
Anon Sat 00:43;
Yes they did Bozo. Not every year but paid out retroactively to cover COL (cost of living) every year. Hope you’re not the clueless sort of civil servant that we are all complaining about-read the news, check your payslip, listen to your union representatives. But please don’t post claptrap here about not getting COL when it is demonstratively easy for the rest of us to prove you did!
To Anonymous Sun 20:30 Yes civil servants were paid some COL but never enough to cover actual increases in the cost of living.For example,lets say the cost of living increase over a two year period was 7%,the COL paid to civil servants (two years late )might have reached 4.5%.Perhaps you should post the whole truth before you criticize.
Either you cut salaries or cut jobs….your call. The comments from the community are unanimous, there are too many people employed by government compared to the population. Salary cuts are the humane first step, attrition will be the next step. Mass layoffs and firings will be the last resort. This is only the beginning
There is no choice. Both need to be done!
Agreed, both salary cuts and staff reductions need to take place. Audit the managment postions and see who has little or no employees and then consolidate units under a single manager with no less then 10-15 employees per managment position. There are to many "departments", "divisions", and "units" with a manager/head and little or no employees.
some salaries may be frozen but the average cost per civil servant has grown 20%, and the numbers another 20%, what implies that in the middle of a recesion we have an increase in current expenditure of almost 50%
Salaries, benefits and numbers need to be cut or we will sink further into recesion and the cuts will happen anyway but too late to recover what Cayman was.