SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Almost half of the 15,000 government employees scheduled to be laid off this week because of a budget deficit will keep their jobs until next year, Puerto Rican officials said Tuesday.
The decision came as a judge reviews dozens of complaints that the U.S. territory's government did not follow proper procedure in issuing dismissal letters.
Although the judge has reviewed only 29 complaints, authorities decided to halt the layoffs of more than 7,000 workers to ensure their rights are protected, said Carlos Garcia, president of the board overseeing the layoffs.
Those workers will remain in their positions until January, which will give the government time to properly notify unions, he said. Layoffs of 8,000 other workers will go ahead because the notification procedure was believed to have been followed in those cases, he said.
The delayed means the government will spend an additional $60 million on salaries. Gov. Luis Fortuno has said the layoffs are needed to help narrow a $3.2 billion deficit in the budget.
The Caribbean island is in its third year of recession and is burdened with a 16.4 percent unemployment rate — higher than any other U.S. state or territory.
In May, the government dismissed more than 7,800 workers in the first round of layoffs. At the time, more than 200,000 people worked for the government.
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