• The decision was taken in accordance with the instructions given by the Treasury to all Ministries to curtail their expenses
• No new recruitment would be made in the government service

By Ajith Siriwardana  

Plans were afoot to reduce the number of public sector employees in all government institutions and a self-retirement mechanism would be introduced for that effect, Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena said yesterday.   

He told the weekly Cabinet briefing that ineffective public sector employees would be removed through this self-retirement mechanism.  

The Minister said the decision was taken in accordance with the instructions given by the Treasury to all Ministries to curtail their expenses in all departments and added that all the Ministry Secretaries are bound to adhere to the circulars issued by the Treasury.   He said no new recruitment would be made in the government service and pointed out that any vacancies in a particular state institution would be filled by the existing cadre of the government sector institutions.  

“For example, steps are being taken to recruit 29,000 new teachers. They would be recruited from the existing cadre of the government sector through an examination,” he said.