In a letter to the Legislature, Tudela said the proposed unpaid legal holidays and austerity holidays will take away food off the tables of many government workers.
“Both you and I know that even the CNMI government is having a hard time in meeting its utility payments. Can you imagine an employee who is trying to support his/her family getting a 10 percent cut on his biweekly paycheck?” the mayor said.
“In other words, if the unpaid and austerity holidays are implemented with the passage of the Senate version of the proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2009, you are taking food off the tables of a family that is already coping with the financial hardship,” he added.
The Senate substitute budget bill of $156.7 million includes 13 unpaid legal holidays and 10 austerity holidays.
The 23 unpaid days are the equivalent of 184 hours or more than two payrolls.
The Senate said the alternative is the termination of a significant number of government employees.
Some government workers interviewed by this reporter said the proposed pay cut is too much to bear because the prices of basic commodities and utility services have gone up.
“Probably, officials can still sustain the cut because they are paid well but us, we’re just getting enough,” one of them said.
The government generally pays more than the mandated $4.05 hourly minimum wage rate.
However, some workers end up getting less after deductions are made on their paychecks.
“There’s just not enough take home pay,” an employee who asked not be named said.
Tudela said the Legislature should devise a plan to spare the public servants from pay cuts.
“We understand the economic hardship that the CNMI government is experiencing. But allowing the agencies to adjust their staffing needs accordingly will not only ensure productivity but will also ensure managers are up to speed with activities without implementing austerity and unpaid legal holidays,” he said.
