Chancellery to slash staff

  • 2009-04-02
  • From wire reports
RIGA - The Latvian State Chancellery has proposed radical andswift cuts in the public administration, reducing the number of employeesin the sector to 8-10 percent of the total number of employees in thecountry from current 14 percent.

State Chancellery director Gunta Veismane and Policy CoordinationDepartment head Martins Krievins on Thursday presented to the press themain ideas under the plan for optimization of the public administrationsystem and civil service which has been in principle approved by thegovernment. Now the plan is open for public discussion until May 1, andpeople can post their comments on a special website accessible through thehomepage of the Cabinet.

Veismane said the purpose of the plan was to create a small, compact,professional and motivated public administration. The solutions proposedunder the plan are to be included in the amendments to the 2009 nationalbudget expected to be adopted in June.

The plan comprises short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions but theState Chancellery does not yet have any specific figures about the likelyeconomy and layoffs of the staff under the plan as the Finance Ministry isstill working on them.