MEDIA STATEMENT

Bennett and Roy confirm National will “cut” not “cap” public service jobs      
       

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has confirmed National’s policy to cap public service has been thrown out the window, Labour State Services spokesperson Grant Robertson said today.

“Ms Bennett has only heightened the fears of staff at the Ministry of Social Development that their jobs are at risk after she told Radio New Zealand that she is looking to cut staffing numbers by 5 percent,” Grant Robertson said.

“She has also not ruling out further layoffs. John Key’s promise to cap public service staffing looks to be a thing of the past.

Grant Robertson says Paula Bennett’s spin that the previous Government initiated staffing cuts at the MSD is laughable.

“The MSD, in its Briefing to the Incoming Minister, stated it was planning reducing staffing levels by ‘upwards of 5 percent’, but Labour did not sign off on that,” Grant Robertson said.

“National needs to be honest and open about its plans for the public service.

“We’ve already seen ACT Minister Heather Roy ducking and diving over her fit of honesty on the plans of the Government’s razor gang to slash spending by 10 percent across all Government departments.

“If that is National’s secret public service agenda then it’s a sad reality there will be widespread lay offs. John Key needs to tell New Zealanders which core services will suffer as a result.

“Cutting staff at the MSD at a time when over a thousand people a week will be joining the ranks of the unemployed just doesn’t make sense,” Grant Robertson said.

“It’s time National came up with a real plan to protect jobs, and it could start by sticking to its pre-election policy and reassuring public servants they will continue to have one,”

ENDS

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