The City of Vantaa has decided not to implement plans to extend its trial programme of monetary incentive bonuses for city employees to the city’s leaders.
Mayor Juhani Paajanen said on Friday that he has decided to remove the plan to extend the bonus programme to the city’s top executives from next year’s municipal budget proposal.
The proposed incentive plan raised plenty of objections, in light of Vantaa’s tight economic situation. Political decision-makers were also annoyed at how officials in the city’s personnel management had drawn up the proposals without sufficiently consulting political leaders.
Members of the City Council voiced their objections on Thursday at a meeting with Paajanen and the city’s personnel manager Kirsi-Marja Leivonen.
After discussions lasting almost an hour, Paajanen said that in the prevailing atmosphere, he has no choice but to withdraw the proposal.
The Mayor will make the changes to the draft budget when the City Board discusses the matter on October 24th. The City Council will vote on Vantaa’s 2006 draft budget on November 14th.
Friday’s announcement means that plans to include the top executive level in the bonus programme will be cancelled.
Vantaa has ten work units in its incentive bonus programme, with a combined total of more than 400 employees. The experimental programme includes employees working in schools, libraries, food services, and the city’s parks department. The first bonuses are to be paid early next year.
