SALARIES of Singapore's top civil service officers and ministers will be cut as a 'sharp' recession threatens to increase job losses and hurt lending this year, Bloomberg news reported on Monday.
The top government salaries, which are linked to economic performance, will fall 12 per cent to 20 per cent in 2009 and 'may be subject to further adjustments given the volatility of the economy', Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also in charge of the civil service, said in Parliament on Monday.

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Oh dear. Is this the part where forumites begin the festivities?

"Hurray for ministers getting less pay, the useless overpaid snobs," and all that?

They are not suppose to get the amount they got anyway...20% of 2million is only 400K what...they still can bring back 1.6mil mah...
There are alot of those who earns 1K per month and get 20% paycut also...

When ministers get paycut, the ones who suffer most will be the lesser govt workers who will have no choice but to accept pay cut as well......... "See, we minsters kena pay cut.... you all better follow suit........ no excuse....."

"How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?"

Cut it but keep it.

If they turn the economy and make good, then can give the cut pay to them 5 years from now.

Discentive but also need the incentive too to get them work harder.

There is a blue sky up there.

"Oh no, i have no $$ to learn cooking le"! said Mr Tan.

I think shouldn't cut the ministers pay because if they get low salaries, they have no heart to work and our economy will be in recession for years, that is no good to the people.

they shd not be getting this outragious amt in the first place. they deserve only 10% -20% of what they are getting now. they are not able convince ppl why a little red dot minister is pay 5 -6 times more than American president, bernake and etc.

Tell me, what in the world happened to the SG economy/society in 2008 that justifies anywhere close to a 4.5-month average bonus, not to mention 8.33 months', for a civil servant or minister, respectively?! This is daylight robbery!

Remember how Durai was mauled in court over his "peanuts" self-declared 12-month bonus?