RIGA - The monthly salary and expenses of President Valdis Zatlers will be cut by 540 lats (768 euro) in 2009, leaving the head of the state with a total of 2,250 lats per month.
Salaries of other staff of the president's office will also be cut by 15 percent next year regardless of their rank in implementation of the new austerity measures on Tuesday approved by the government, provided that the parliament passes them on Thursday.
Eriks Ozols, the head of the president's office, told BNSthat instead of the current monthly salary of 3,000 lats Zatlers will receive 2,250 lats a month in 2009, and his monthly expenses will be cut to 510 lats from 600 lats.
He said that any serious layoffs at the president's office were not likely as they could only fire a couple of cleaning women and a gardener, for they would become unnecessary as the president's office will move to temporary premises in the Cabinet building due to renovation of the presidential residence at Riga Castle.
Ozols said that the total payroll planned for 2009 at 1.66 million lats would have to be cut by 250,000 lats. The president's office has already been cutting its payroll gradually since 2007.
The Latvian government on Dec. 9 approved the bill of a 15 percent salary cut for officials and employees of the public sector in 2009, which includes also the President of State and his office. The parliament is expected to vote on the bill on Dec 11.
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