Up to 200 jobs face the axe in City and County Councils

Date Published: 27-Jan-2009

MORE than 200 public sector workers in Galway are at risk of losing their jobs in the coming months, as Galway City and County Councils make major cuts in wage expenditure.

Fifteen jobs will be lost in Galway City Council, while 205 contract positions at Galway County Council are currently “under review”.

Both authorities are being forced to look at their expenditure and find ways to slash their payroll to keep in line with an order from central government that wages must be cut by 3% this year.

Galway County Council – which stated in its 2009 Budget that it must cut wages by a whopping €1.8 million – would not confirm yesterday the number of contract positions that are currently under “active consideration”, but it’s believed to be in the region of 200, according to the Irish Independent.

A statement from the Council indicated reductions in overtime and premium payments would be a priority in the coming months, and that it would continue to look for areas where costs could be cut.

“All areas of payroll costs will require continuous monitoring in 2009 to ensure the…