ZAGREB, Jan 29 (Hina) - Croatian Defence Minister Jozo Rados presented at a press conference on Tuesday a "Programme of Transition and Providing For Redundant Defence Ministry Personnel". Under the programme, a total of 8,778 of the
current 40,714 employees will be made redundant by the end of this year and a total of 21,194 by the end of 2005, but will be provided for. Salaries account for 73 percent of the ministry's budget, which is unacceptable, Rados said, adding layoffs were necessary to reduce expenses for salaries to around 50% as well as to keep the Armed Forces personnel young. The average Croatian soldier is 35 years of age, while the NATO average is 25, he said. The programme is the pillar of the reform of the Armed Forces and has no alternative, Rados said. Once the reform is completed, the military budget will account for around two percent of Gross Domestic Product and the armed forces numbe
ZAGREB, Jan 29 (Hina) - Croatian Defence Minister Jozo Rados
presented at a press conference on Tuesday a "Programme of
Transition and Providing For Redundant Defence Ministry
Personnel". Under the programme, a total of 8,778 of the current
40,714 employees will be made redundant by the end of this year and a
total of 21,194 by the end of 2005, but will be provided for.
Salaries account for 73 percent of the ministry's budget, which is
unacceptable, Rados said, adding layoffs were necessary to reduce
expenses for salaries to around 50% as well as to keep the Armed
Forces personnel young. The average Croatian soldier is 35 years of
age, while the NATO average is 25, he said.
The programme is the pillar of the reform of the Armed Forces and has
no alternative, Rados said. Once the reform is completed, the
military budget will account for around two percent of Gross
Domestic Product and the armed forces number around 25,000 or 0.6%
of the entire population, he added.
Economising and modernisation in the Armed Forces is aimed at
selecting the best and most capable staff as the basis of future
armed forces, which would be smaller but more efficient, the
Ministry's Personnel Management head, Vladimir Condic, said. By
the end of 2005, the current number of armed forces would be reduced
to 19,520, while several thousand young persons would be employed,
depending on the forces' needs and size.
In the past two years the number of employees in the Defence
Ministry dropped by 3,459 due to a ban on the employment of new staff
and retirement. Two thirds of all cases of long-standing sick leave
have been resolved while the remaining cases will be settled this
year. All these people have been provided for, Condic stressed.
Redundant employees can choose retraining, severance pays, special
severance pays for self-employment, employment in public companies
and companies which are doing business with the Defence Ministry,
Condic said.
The basic criteria for keeping employment are the results of
medical and performance tests, while so-called differential
criteria include civilian qualifications, skills, and
participation in the Homeland War, Condic said.
(hina) sb rml