Reyes, in an interview on Monday, said this is better than losing their jobs.
She said like other CNMI residents, LB employees are already trying to cope with the economic crisis.
She and the LB staffers met with House and Senate members last week to discuss the bureau’s budget, Reyes said.
The $899,000 that the FY 2011 budget bill proposes, she added, is not enough to maintain LB employees.
Reyes recalled that after the previous imposition of the austerity Fridays, the salaries of LB employees were reduced.
These reductions are still reflected in their contracts, she added.
The proposed additional 16-hour cut and unpaid holidays for the new fiscal year, Reyes said, will mean deeper pay cuts for LB employees.
“Perhaps this is unfair because the LB’s reduced salaries were not be mirrored across the CNMI government,” Reyes added.
