The Trump government offered strong financial incentives for full -time federal employees to renounce, as part of the plans to drastically reduce government size.
The Donald Trump government announced Tuesday that it will give compensation to those who choose to leave their work as federal employees next week, an unprecedented measure to drastically reduce the United States government at a dizzying speed.
In addition, he said he would begin to submit all federal workers to “improved suitability and behavior” and warned about future personnel reductions.
A memorandum of the Personnel Administration Office, the Government Human Resources Agency, was sent by email to employees and says that those who leave their positions will voluntarily receive around seven months of salary, but they must do it before February 6 .
The “Deferred Resignation Program” would allow federal employees to remain on the payroll until September 30, but not have to work, according to an email sent to federal employees and seen by Reuters. Federal compensation generally have a limit of $ 25,000.
The offer covers civilian employees, except those who occupy positions related to immigration and national security and people who work for the postal service of the United States.
President Donald Trump promised that in his second term he would go much further to change traditional political norms. However, the repercussions of so many government workers being invited to leave their jobs are difficult to calculate.
The US Federal Government employs more than 3 million people, which makes it approximately the fifteenth largest labor force in the nation. According to an analysis of the PEW Research Center of the OPM data, the average permanence in the position of a federal employee is 11.8 years.
Even a fraction of the workforce that accepts compensation and leaving could send shock waves through the economy and trigger generalized disorders throughout society, which would cause wide implications (and still unknown) for the benefit, punctuality and efficiency of Federal services throughout the country.
An incalculable amount of first -line health workers in the Department of Veterans Affairs, officials who process loans for new homes or small businesses and contractors who help acquire the next generation of military weapons could all leave at once. The measure could also mean the loss of experienced food and scientific inspectors who test the water supply, as well as flight interruptions.
In response to the compensation offer, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Everett Kelley, said it should not be seen as something voluntary, but as a way of pressing workers who are not considered loyal to the new administration so that Leave your positions.
“Among the wave of executive orders and anti-workers policies, it is clear that the target of the Trump administration is to turn the federal government into a toxic environment where workers cannot even stay if they want,” Kelley said in a statement.
“Defining the federal government of federal career employees will have vast unintentional consequences that will cause chaos for Americans who depend on a functional federal government,” Kelley said.
Trump directives
In its memorandum sent by email that details its plan, the Office of Personnel Administration lists four guidelines that, Trump has ordered for the Federal Labor Force in the future, including that most workers return to their offices to Full time.
“The vast majority of federal employees who have been working remotely from the COVID must return to your physical offices five days a week”, Reads. That echo Trump, who said about federal employees during the weekend: “You have to go to your office and work. Otherwise, you will not have a job. ”
He also says that Trump “will insist on excellence at all levels”, and that although some parts of the government's workforce can increase under their administration, “most federal agencies are probable.”
Finally, the “Federal Labor Force must be composed of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy and strive to achieve excellence in their daily work.”
“Employees will be subject to improved standards of suitability and behavior as we advance,” reads email. “Employees who participate in illegal behaviors or other undue behaviors will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including dismissal.”
The message includes a “deferred resignation letter” for federal employees who wish to participate in the purchase program, which began on Tuesday “and is available for all federal employees until February 6”.
“If you give up on this program, you will keep all your salary and benefits regardless of your daily workload and you will be exempt from all work requirements applicable until September 30,” he says.
The email even includes instructions on how to accept, indicating: “After checking the deferred resignation letter, if you want to resign: select 'answer' to this email. You must answer from your government account. ”
He adds: “Write the word 'give up' in the body of this email and click 'Send'.”
(With information from Reuters and AP)