English

There will be no redundancy payments for government employees, Lukashenka says

There will be no benefits, privileges or payments for the government employees who have been made redundant, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on Friday while meeting with officials to discuss government downsizing plans.

"What additional payments can there possibly be, where will you get money for the payments?" the Belarusian leader said, according to the government's news agency BelTA. "That's some wishful thinking! What guarantees, benefits and payments can there be for people who are being made redundant today and are unfit for government service?"

He acknowledged that the salaries of government employees were "unacceptably low" and insisted that they could be raised only if the number of the recipients was reduced.

It is necessary to "cut off everything redundant, everything that breeds bureaucracy and gets in the way of the country's dynamic development," Mr. Lukashenka said.

He noted that government employees would have about half a year to find new jobs.

The government should get rid of poorly performing employees, while good workers should continue government service, he said.

Mr. Lukashenka announced on October 1, 2012, that the number of government employees should be reduced by between 25 and 30 percent.

He pointed out that the forthcoming staff reduction would concern high-level positions to a greater extent than low-level positions. //BelaPAN