Το ΔΝΤ ζητά 8.500 απολύσεις δημοσίων υπαλλήλων από τη Σερβία

Belgrade. The International Monetary Fund ( IMF) has given Serbia until the end of June to reduce the number of government employees by 10 percent, in other words eliminate 8, 500 jobs at the state and local government levels, Xinhua News Agency informs.

According to an agreement reached on Thursday in Belgrade, the IMF will give Serbia access to EUR 380 million in a stand-by arrangement, if it meets its obligation to pass a law on pension and government staffing. According to previous agreement, Serbia had until March of this year to enact such a law.
Albert Jeger, head of the IMF mission to Serbia, warned that such a law was a prerequisite for receiving the next IMF installment. According to Serbian Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic, the task of "rationalization" of government administration was about 50 percent complete.
Due to the slow pace of economic recovery in Serbia, with its projected growth for 2010 reduced to 1.5 from 2 percent, pensions and public sector wages will remain frozen for the remainder of the year, stated Dragutinovic. The formula for salary and pension increases in 2011 will be based on inflation and half the rate of growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The IMF did, however, approve an increase in the size of the Serbian budget deficit, from 4 to 4.8 percent.