BIZARRE HR     COST-CUTTING

Australia – Cost cutting measures initiated by Queensland’s new state government now require public servants to bring their own tea and coffee to work.

Premier Campbell Newman has introduced new belt-tightening measures in an attempt to save A$100 million (S$125.5m) in the next six weeks, The Courier Mail reported. Other measures taken include the removal of indoor plants from some departments and an order to stop serving sandwiches at meetings.

Since taking office on March 24, the Liberal National Party (LNP) has also cracked down on air travel for public servants, slashing travel budgets by 20%, and axing non-essential advertising.

The measures were taken as a first step towards winding back the state’s A$85 billion (S$106.7m) debt, a government spokesman said. If cost savings are not achieved, directors-general will be held accountable by the government.

Last week, Jarrod Bleijie, the state’s attorney-general, introduced a Bill to amend the state’s Industrial Relations Act, which will require the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission to give consideration to economic conditions when determining wages.

The changes will also give the Attorney-General overriding power to terminate industrial action. He said the legislation will ensure Queensland has a public service it can afford.
_______________________________________________________________________________

To subscribe to Human Resources' monthly print magazines and daily online newsletters, please go to http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/subscribe/

To get the latest HR news to your desktop or mobile, follow Human Resources on Twitter and Facebook

To view exclusive HRTV videos and commentary on HR issues, visit The Office Snitch

More quality Lighthouse titles

Get your marketing department up to speed with Asia's most read marketing site
marketing-interactive.com

Want to get on the right side of the procurement department?
Direct them to Procurement Asia