The global economic down-turn is being blamed for a sharp reduction in staff by the internationally acclaimed charity, Food For the Poor Jamaica (FFPJ).

The charity, last Friday made a number of positions redundant and sent home 14 members of staff, including public relations officer Delroy Whyte-Hall.

Executive Director Bradley Finzi-Smith has also left the organisation, but reports are that he resigned, also effective last Friday.

Significant challenges

In a release yesterday, FFPJ said it was forced to undertake the, "painful but necessary cost cutting" because it was experien-cing significant challenges to its operations from the downturn in the local and global economy and the accompanying decline in the number and value of donations to carry out its work.

"Following a review of its operations, administrative costs are being significantly reduced in order to ensure that the aid we provide to the poor is not at all diminished," Father Burchell McPherson, chairman of FFPJ, said.

"Our focus, difficult as it may be, must now remain steadfast on our mission and its continued growth," Father McPherson added.

Employees surprised

According to the charity, it is committed to ensuring that workers affected by the redun-dancy exercise receive just compensation and that all legal obligations are met in full.

FFPJ added that it has offered counselling together with character and job references to the persons who have been sent home.

But former employees yester-day expressed surprise at the decision, which was communi-cated to them only hours before they were sent home.

The former employees also questioned the reason advanced by the charity while arguing that Food For the Poor was among the charities with the lowest adminis-trative costs in the world.