Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma allayed fears of government workers of being booted out of job following the proposal of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to all agencies to initiate belt-tightening measures amid the economic crunches that the country is continue facing.

The proposed belt-tightening measures involves rightsizing plan in all government agencies to simplify and make more efficient all the transactions and works in the bureaucracy.

“The government’s rightsizing plan on the bureaucracy may not actually mean downsizing the public labor force. Rightsizing also connotes simplifying office procedures,” said Laguesma.

“When you talk of streamlining, it’s all about making work in a business easier and fruitful. On the other hand, structural reforms imply changes to the way the government works. I don’t see downsizing of workforce in those definitions,” he added.

The DBM pushed the idea last week in an effort to maximize government’s expenses while ensuring work efficiency.

The proposal, however, triggered speculations of massive retrenchment among government workers and drew the ire of labor groups who called the plan as ill-timed and ill-motivated.

But Laguesma called for calmness, stressing that increasing the number of jobless Filipinos is not the goal of the government.

“Let’s be more positive with rightsizing where the possibility of transferring or even hiring of more people by a government with lots of tasks to perform is very high,” said Laguesma.

In the private sector where he came from, Laguesma said rightsizing means streamlining of processes and structural reforms.

But whatever happens, Laguesma said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) would remain faithful in its mandate to promote the welfare of workers both in the private and public sectors.

“Whatever happens, DOLE would always champion the security and safety of our workers, whether they are government servants or employees of private institutions,” Laguesma said.