The Jewish Agency executive decided yesterday to dismiss gradually about 1,000 of its employes to save 15,000,000 pounds ($5,000,000) of its budget.
The decision was taken at a meeting held to discuss the request made last week by Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir for curtailment of the Agency’s budget. Most of the members of the executive reportedly agreed with the Government’s request for the dismissal of the 1,000 employes of the Agency’s 3,800 workers.
The dismissals will take place over a six to eight month period. Departments most likely to be hit by the discharges are Settlement, and Absorption and Immigration. The Agency was also expected to start a reorganization plan in view of the budget cut.
Meanwhile the head of the Absorption Department, Agency executive member Avraham Cygel, said the Agency was getting land ready for faster integration of immigrants from western countries and preparing houses and jobs for them. He reported that only eight percent of immigrants from Latin America had returned home and that this was mainly for personal reasons. He said 140 immigrants were due next week from Argentina.
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