The National Personnel Authority will soon recommend a reduction in winter bonuses for Japan's national civil servants, which is likely to lead to the largest contraction in their annual bonuses, sources familiar with the matter said.
The latest step is expected to result in a cut of 0.35 month worth of salary, the largest yearly reduction since the authority recommended a cut of 0.3 month worth of salary in fiscal 1999.
It is also planning to slash civil servants' monthly pay for the first time in four years, by as much as 0.2 per cent, the sources said yesterday.
The move follows a contraction of 0.2 month worth of salary in their summer bonuses based on a May proposal, and will mark an additional cut of 0.15 month worth to their winter bonuses.
The personnel authority decided to go ahead with the latest cuts after reviewing data on private-sector monthly payments, which found the average monthly pay for national civil servants was 1,000 yen higher than private-sector employees.
