Prime Minister estimates up to eight percent reduction in public employees

Prime Minister Petr Nečas has estimated that between five and eight percent of state workers will leave their jobs due to proposed budget cuts next year. Cuts of 10 percent have been demanded in ministry budgets. The Prime Minister said there was a choice between across the board pay cuts of 10 percent or a 10 percent cut in employee numbers. He reckoned that most ministries would opt for a mix of the above but that there would be a bigger emphasis on job cuts. The 2011 budget will start to be debated in the lower house of parliament in October. The government programme calls for cuts across the public sector with the exception of teachers.

Author: Chris Johnstone