Public servants face pay, bonus cuts

Employees of all 47 prefectural governments will see their annual income decline in the current fiscal year, as local personnel commissions have called for wage cuts, a Kyodo News survey showed Friday.

All prefectural governments except for Mie, Okayama and Yamaguchi have been advised to cut the monthly salaries of their employees. In addition, all 47 have been advised to reduce bonuses in the year through next March 31.

If that advice is fully implemented, the annual income of local government officials will decrease by ¥82,000 to ¥304,000 on average from the previous fiscal year.

Nagano employees would face the largest cut, at ¥304,000.

The Fukushima, Tokyo, Nagano and Shizuoka Prefectural governments will impose the largest-ever cut in salary and bonus payments on their employees, reflecting a sharp decline in private-sector income in those regions.

If the advice is followed to the letter, the annual income at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will be ¥6.848 million — the highest among all prefectural governments. Tottori will be the lowest, at ¥5.417 million.

Mie was the only prefecture advised to hike the monthly salaries of employees. Mie's personnel commission called for a boost to balance the wage level with the private sector because earlier wage system reform had reduced employees' income.

But it also called for a cut in bonuses, resulting in a ¥120,000 cut in annual employee income.

The personnel commissions of prefectural governments are the local version of the government's National Personnel Authority, advising governors on personnel and wage matters as an alternative measure for stripping public-sector workers of the right to strike.