Ireland’s government unveiled a 400-million-euro (559-million-dollar) voluntary redundancy and early retirement scheme on Monday in a bid to shed staff from the health service.
Health Minister Mary Harney said the scheme was aimed mainly at 17,000 management and administrative staff.
“These are voluntary schemes,” Harney said in a statement. “It is a matter for each individual employee in the grades concerned to decide whether she/he wishes to avail of them.”
Eligible workers have until November 19 to apply for redundancy and they must confirm their acceptance by November 30. They must retire or resign by
December 30.
Harney said that if up to 4,000 or 5,000 workers apply for the scheme it could generate savings of about 200 million euros a year from the payroll.
The scheme is being offered as Ireland’s government draws up plans for a series of austerity budgets that will mean 15 billion euros in spending cuts and tax increases over the next four years.
A protestor spattered Harney with red paint earlier on Monday when she launched a new suburban health centre in Dublin in protest at health cuts.
“I said to her at the time, ‘You have the blood of the Irish men, women and children on your hands over the disastrous decisions you have made as health minister,'” Louise Minihan, a member of Dublin City Council representing the socialist republican party Eirigi, told RTE state radio.
Dublin, Nov 1, 2010 (AFP)
