PRico delays nearly half of planned 15,000 layoffs

Puerto Rico delays layoffs for nearly half of 15,000 state workers slated to lose jobs

• On 8:00 pm EST, Tuesday November 3, 2009

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- More than 7,000 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 thousands of 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 more than 2,700 other workers will go ahead because the notification procedure was believed to have been followed in those cases, he said.

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.

The delayed layoffs means the government will spend an additional $60 million on salaries. Gov. Luis Fortuno has said the cuts in the government work force are 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.

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