No firing in civil service downsizing
Thursday August 23, 2007

Fiji's Public Service is expected to be reduced by 10 per cent by the end of the year through a restructure of government departments earmarked to take place by the end of the year.

Permanent secretary of the Public Service Ministry Tania Tagicakibau told Fijilive there will be no specific terminations or lay offs in the civil service during the proposed downsizing.

Tagicakibau said the interim administration is hoping to reduce the size of the civil service through privatising government commercial companies and departments. It also plans to reduce staff through the natural attrition of staff through retirement and resignations, but now the vacancies created through attrition will not be filled.

She said top amongst the privatisation of government departments are the Water Department, the Fiji Islands Maritime & Safety Authority (FIMSA) and the Quarantine Service.

Tagicakibau said the privatisation of these departments would see reduction in the costs government expenditure towards the running of these services as well as paying and maintaining the staff employed by these departments.

She said it as important for costs of the civil service to come down and it was important that the restructure that is being planned to do just that is carefully thought out.

Public Service Commission chairman Rishi Ram had earlier stated that the restructure would affect all government ministries and departments.

He said the downsizing process has its origins in a directive issued by the interim administration in April and it was important to resolve the increasing costs of the civil service.