THE public service is unlikely to become more efficient with a job cut, Public Employees Association president Michael Malabag said yesterday.
Instead, he said it would only increase unemployment, poverty and law and order problems.
He said that in view of the increasing population, the country should, on the contrary, need more health workers, more teachers and more police personnel.
“While we welcome the reforms in realigning systems and processes in the public service, the unions are skeptical about the down-sizing or right-sizing exercise in the public service,” he said in a statement to explain the current negotiations between the Public Employees Association and the Department of Personnel Management.
“The social and economic impact of job reductions must be studied by policy-makers,” he said.
Mr Malabag, whose association is the biggest public sector union, said the Government should develop its entire approach towards the public sector reform for it to succeed.
“While we are addressing systems and processes and human resources development through the Public Sector Workshop Development Initiative (PSWDI), the Government needs to take it a step further to look at the needs of the public servants in terms of social security, pay, housing requirements and other motivational factors which we believe are the keys to public service efficiency.”
On the issue of minimum wages, Mr Malabang said he was disappointed that the Tripartite Committee continued to downplay it.
“Our country’s minimum wage is one of the lowest in the world and we continue to allow our workers to be exploited by foreign companies,” he said and urged the Government to look into it immediately.