Mine in to good TV
or grown-ups.

Rockford
Files

ventions. I had no idea at the
time it would be me who would
end up compelled to deal with
this legacy.
Under the previous gov-
ernment public-sector pay ex-
panded 20 percent, while
private-sector pay contract-
ed 6.5 percent in real terms.
How will this have changed
by the end of your term?
Pay is a critical issues here,
and so I attach great importance
to the wage negotiations both this
year and next. I don't believe this
will pass without a struggle, but
the government has to be strong
and withstand such claims. The
maximum increase we can give
is the wage in real terms. Con-
sidering the unprecedented high
increases in public-sector pay
over the last four years, workers
must realize that wage hikes by
tens of percentage points will not
reoccur, nor in fact will there be
any real-terms pay salary in-
creases.
It's not that I seek to wear
down the workers. But there is a
salary for each job, and there is
a given number of employees, so
we are also seeking to stem the
growth of the public sector's work
force.
How about actively shrink-
ing it.
No.
Well, for example, now that
Science Minister Ze'ev Begin
has resigned, you could close
down that ministry, just like
MK Yossi Benin did with the
Economics Ministry; after all,
Israeli science prospered well
before the establishment of
the Science Ministry in 1982?
You realize not much money
is involved here, but I do confess
that I have not previously con-
sidered this possibility; now that
you mention it I might look into
it.
Beyond symbolism, why,
for example, when the edu-
cation minister went through
the usual motions and
protested the proposed cuts
in his budget, didn't you prod
him to come up with a priva-
tization plan that would, say,
affect your annual $1 billion
subsidy to the higher educa-
tion system?
I agree with what you're say-
ing. We've approached the Edu-
cation Ministry with all sorts of
suggestions — some were reject-
ed, others we'll come back to with
time.
Take for instance tuition. Is it
possible to set up a pay scale
whereby those with the intelli-
gence to study won't be deprived
due to a lack of funds, while those
who could afford it would pay
more realistic sums.

RATIONAL page 73

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