Estonian Defence Ministry to reduce staff by 15 per cent

June 14, 2011 defpro.com

The Estonian Ministry of Defence will reduce its staff by 15 per cent, shedding 34 positions. According to Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Mikk Marran, the operational expenditures of state agencies have been frozen for the next four years, as a result of which resources to retain and motivate specialists have to be found internally.

“To better perform our functions, we will improve the organisation of work at the Ministry by reducing our staff and enhancing cooperation with the General Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces,” the Permanent Secretary said.

According to an analysis by the Ministry of Defence, since the redundancies and pay cuts in 2009 the Ministry has trailed other state agencies in competitiveness, particularly at the specialist level. “As a result, our employees are dissatisfied with the salary structure and their pay, and the staff turnover at the Ministry of Defence is above the public service average,” Marran said.

Last week, the Ministry of Defence announced that, as a result of a review of work processes and a reassessment of the priority of various foreign service posts, the number of foreign service posts will be reduced by 20 per cent. After a reduction in the number of staff abroad and the present downscaling of staff, from 1 August the Ministry of Defence will have a total of 193.5 staff and support staff positions.