Plans are now in the pipeline to make 5,000 civil servants redundant by January 2010.

Public Service Commission Chairman Josefa Serulagilagi has also reiterated that there will be no consultations with the unions on the redundancy packages offered to the 5,000 civil servants on the verge of retirement.

Serulagilagi said the redundancies will be voluntary and they will target civil servants who are between the ages of 52 to 54 years.

The PSC Chairman also said unions are not required for the talks because the packages offered are only directed to individual civil servants and said it is an attractive offer.

Serulagilagi said he will not divulge the details of the redundancy package formula as it is with the Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.

Serulagilagi said with the voluntary redundancy of 5,000 civil servants, the government is hoping to cut civil service costs by 20 percent.

He said if Commodore Bainimarama is happy with what the PSC has planned on the redundancy packages then they will prepare another proposal seeking cabinet approval.



No redundancy package offer discussions with unions-PSC

The Confederation of Public Sector Unions has not been consulted over government's plans to offer voluntary redundancy packages to civil servants.

Confederation member and Fiji Public Service Association General Secretary Rajeshwar Singh said they do not know anything about the package.