Special Report: Global Financial Crisis

    BOGOTA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Colombian Treasury Minister Oscar Zuluaga supported Wednesday the decision of employers to reduce salaries in order to avoid unemployment.

    Zuluaga said that all sectors are responsible for creating initiatives to tackle of the global financial crisis.

    It is the responsibility of everybody, not only those who have jobs but also those who generate them, to make more efforts to keep employment, Zuluaga said.

    He said that he supports the decision of employers to reduce salaries "for not dismissing workers."

    The unemployment rate of Colombia in February reached 12.5 percent, according to the National Department of Statistics.

    The figure is distressing, for it means that 2.5 million Colombians do not have jobs and the other 6 million do not have permanent jobs, he said.