KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr Peter Phillips, has sought to reassure public sector workers that there is no plan for widescale redundancies in 2016/17.

Dr Phillips told the House of Representatives Tuesday, however, that there is a need to reorganise the public sector to make it more efficient.

He also reminded the House that the Government will need to repay some $62 billion, as the first installment on maturing bonds issued under the National Debt Exchange, which becomes due on February 10, the day after nomination day for the February 25 general election.

“Let me take the opportunity to put to rest, I think, notions that have developed in some sections of the public that there is some plans for widescale redundancies in the public sector. There is no such plan,” Phillips said as he opened the debate on the Civil Service Establishment (General) Order, 2015, Resolution.

“We obviously have to reorganise our public sector to make it more efficient to deal with levels of pay that attract the best and the brightest in the country at the relevant levels. All of that needs to be done. But as we proceed to that, we are not intending to proceed to that point in a fashion that is either callous, disregarding the sacrifices that have been made by those same workers that have brought us this far, that is intended to in any way impose any hardship,” he stated.

He said that as the economy expands, and as jobs and job opportunities expand in other areas of the economy, the government will be prepared to explore ways in which persons could be re-skilled for other jobs.

However, he insisted that where persons retire and posts are made vacant in the public sector, the government could not fill those posts, as part of the general reorganisation and transformation of the workforce.

He noted that 2,564 posts have already been abolished in the public service, and there are plans to abolish other posts as they become vacant.

Balford Henry