Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has announced a series of immediate austerity measures that will see overseas travel for senior officials stopped and a proposed 20 per cent pay cut for government ministers and assistant ministers put before Parliament.
Rabuka said the proposed pay reduction — which will also cover assistant ministers and MPs — will be tabled for parliamentary approval but framed the move as a matter of leadership and fiscal discipline. “At a time like this, leadership must begin at the top,” he said, adding that the measures are intended to “reduce costs and prioritise essential spending.”
Several measures take effect immediately. All overseas travel for ministers and assistant ministers has been halted, and the suspension extends to permanent secretaries and all civil servants. The government has also placed a hiring freeze on new civil service positions and suspended all job evaluations as part of the clampdown on spending and operations, Rabuka said.
Tighter controls have been ordered on the use of government vehicles: ministries are required to carpool where possible, walking to nearby meeting venues is encouraged, and after-hours vehicle use will be strictly monitored. “All vehicles operating after hours must carry official passes and will be monitored very closely,” Rabuka said. The government also urged that meetings and training sessions be conducted virtually where possible to cut costs.
Financial rules for staff will also change: overtime payments for government employees are suspended and will be replaced by time-in-lieu arrangements. The prime minister characterised the package as necessary measures to redirect resources to core priorities, stressing discipline, responsibility and leadership during a period of constrained resources.
The proposed ministerial pay cut will need parliamentary endorsement before it takes effect, while the other restrictions are presented as operational directives already in force. Rabuka did not give a timetable for when the pay-cut motion will be presented to Parliament, nor did he provide details on how long the hiring freeze and suspension of job evaluations will last.
The announcement marks the government’s most comprehensive set of internal cost-saving steps publicised to date. Officials will now need to implement the new transport, travel and staffing controls across ministries, and Parliament will be the forum where the proposed reduction in elected officials’ pay is debated and decided.
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