THE JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) is calling for a comprehensive audit of employment in Central Government and all its agencies, statutory bodies, Government companies and executive agencies.
The call, which came in the wake of reports that Government has put a freeze on hiring in Central Government, was accompanied by questions aimed at Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, in Parliament yesterday.
"I was wondering if the Minister would advise as to whether this initiative forms part of a formal and well-structured research-oriented approach to reducing the size of the wage bill and reducing the size of Government in this country," said Audley Shaw, Opposition Spokes-man on Finance.
In a statement issued earlier in the afternoon, he said that the freezing of employment on its own merely represents a panic-driven and erratic response to the 'fast growing' public sector wage bill.
Mr. Shaw said in Parliament, however, that "it's no secret that the Opposition has called for a containment of the size of the public sector and for a cutting of the size of Government."
