Layoffs in Store for Culture, PM Says
Should public sector employees working in the field of culture be worried about losing their jobs? "The honest answer is 'yes'," said Prime Minister Andrus Ansip in a May 20 interview.
Earlier in the day media reported that, according to Eurostat figures, Estonia spends a higher percentage of its GDP on culture than any other nation in the European Union. Hours later, Ansip did not waste his breath to sugarcoat plans for layoffs in the culture sector.
"To increase efficiency, we must improve the use of resources and we must consider where those resources would be most effective," Ansip told ERR radio.
Next year, Estonia won't make any money from its greenhouse gas credits - which the country, with its low pollution rate, has been selling on the international market. That's why it's time to cut costs and boost efficiency, Ansip said. "Unfortunately, our budget balance will be under much greater pressure than this year. For that reason, an across-the-board pay raise for next year is unthinkable, but we can always raise efficiency. I don't know of any business or agency that is absolutely certain that efficiency can no longer be increased," said Ansip.
Ott Tammik