UK government to cut pay for laid off civil servants as it prepares to cut thousands of jobs

LONDON – LONDON (AP) — The British government says it will slash the payoffs for civil servants who lose their jobs.

The announcement says civil servants who are laid off will be limited to no more than 12 month's pay in compensation — or 15 months for employees who voluntarily give up their jobs.

The government said Tuesday that some civil servants now are entitled to claim more than six years' pay if they are laid off.

The government is planning to slash departmental budgets by an average of 25 percent, and official projections suggest that 600,000 civil servants stand to lose their jobs.