New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her government ministers will take 20 per cent pay cuts because of the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ms Ardern said the decision was made in light of the economic challenges New Zealanders were expected to face in the coming months.
The pay cut will be in effect for six months, and applies to government ministers and chief executives of government organisations. It won’t apply to any frontline staff like doctors or nurses.
Opposition Leader Simon Bridges has also volunteered to join them in taking the cut.
“We feel acutely the struggle that many New Zealanders are facing, and so do the people that I work with on a daily basis,” she said.
It is about leadership … [There are] so many examples of people showing what others mean to them, and doing their bit in our united fight to stamp out COVID-19, and showing a little bit of kindness along the way.
Ms Ardern’s salary is NZ$471,000 ($446,143), a comparatively high amount for a country with a population of only 5 million people.
(ABC Australia)
15 Covid19 patients reported in Sri Lanka, Total infected 233. Details đŸ‘‡