Reykjavík mayor: School caretaker layoffs not part of current austerity plan

Reykjavík City Council has approved cost-saving measures, including the outsourcing of cleaning services for 19 of the city's primary schools. This move, initiated through a tender process under a previous administration, has resulted in the termination of some school caretaker positions.

Mayor Hildur Björnsdóttir stated that these specific caretaker layoffs are not part of the current majority's austerity measures. Instead, she attributes them to the outsourcing decision made during the previous term. "The layoffs of school caretakers are not part of the cost-saving measures announced today. They are a consequence of this tender process initiated during the five-party majority's term last election period," Björnsdóttir told mbl.is.

Björnsdóttir emphasized that the current administration's focus is on reducing administrative structures and management. "In today's actions, we focused on reducing overhead and cutting managers. School caretakers were certainly not part of these actions," she said. She further clarified that the cuts target service centers rather than direct support staff like speech therapists or developmental therapists who work closely with children and families.

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Þetta er ekki hluti af hagræðingaraðgerðum meirihlutans heldur afleiðing af þessu útboði sem farið var í tíð fimm flokka meirihlutans á síðasta kjörtímabili.