While downsizing of the public sector has been deemed inevitable by private sector leaders, the Government is being urged to provide the necessary retraining for workers who would be displaced, as well as opportunities to facilitate the pursuit of business initiatives. Private sector groups commented yesterday on proposed plans by Prime Minister Bruce Golding to shrink the size of the government and trade union leaders gave their feedback on plans to make significant public sector job cuts.

Wayne Chen, president of the Jamaica Employers' Federation

"We at the Jamaica Employers' Federation will urge the Govern-ment to look to retraining of public sector employees who are going to be separated from their jobs, because it can also be an oppor-tunity for the wider economy, as people leave the public sector and enter the private sector that they have the skills and competencies to make them productive and to earn a living.

"If you are going to cut in the wider public sector for efficiency, you have to start and set the example right from the top."

Omar Azan, president of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association

"I don't want to just have the Government put people on the streets in terms of public sector workers. What I would like to see is a facility that is available to the public sector worker so that they could start their own company or business. That they can have access to a certain amount of funding or land that is made available to them to start farming."

Joseph Matalon, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ)

"The PSOJ also remains con-cerned about the extent of expenditure attributable to public sector wages, salaries and pensions. In that regard, the PSOJ welcomes the prime minister's announced initiative to modernise the public sector. We have consistently held that an efficient and effective bureaucracy will encourage and facilitate the attainment of high rates of economic growth and employment.

"We are particularly pleased with the prime minister's stated desire to rationalise not only the size, but the role and effectiveness of government.

"We are cautiously optimistic that within the context of the urgent need for such reform, this modernisation programme will be implemented in short order."

Vincent Morrison, president ofthe National Workers' Union

"We have no problem with the decision to cut the Cabinet. It was our view that the size of the Cabinet was really designed to give everybody something to do.

"In terms of cutting the public sector, we believe it is bad economics at this time. Cutting the public sector at this time is going to create untold social and economic hardships in this country.

"It's not like you have a private sector that is employing people. The job cuts in the private sector are going on as we speak - you cannot have a situation where unemployment levels are high in both sectors at the same time."

Kavan Gayle, president of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Unions

"You can't just cut and carve the public sector. That might damage the muscles that are required. There has to be a manpower audit to determine the resources that are required for the public sector.

"If the prime minister wishes to embark on cutting the government service, we believe that there has to be a cut from all levels, which would include cutting possibly the Cabinet."