Tories plan to cut 20,000 public sector posts, by not filling them when they become vacant due to leavers, retirees, promotions etc.
In the private sector we call that ‘natural wastage’.
In the public sector, the ones who remain are called ‘natural wastage’.
That’s the only possible conclusion I can come to. Otherwise, why would the Tories not counter Labour’s “20,000 jobs cut” with “through natural wastage”, thereby deflating Labour’s false claim that anyone will be fired, laid off or made redundant by these cuts. I.e – Jobs will be cut, but there will be no-one in the job at the time it is cut.
Useless. Are they terrified of the word-twisting lefties spinning the ‘natural wastage’ term, in much the same way the superbly powerful term ‘creative destruction’ is studiously avoided by the most free-marketeer of politicians?
Spineless.
AJ
UPDATE: In fairness, CMD did put this argument on the news, just bit using those loaded words.
Al Jahom's Final Word 
The problem with allowing them to do it through natural wastage is that it isn’t what is required. We need targeted cuts – losing all the dead wood or actively harmful non-jobs like Diversity Outreach Co-ordinator, Environmental Manager and Offender Management Communications Director.
Leaving it to ‘natural wastage’ will mean less front-line staff, sure as eggs is eggs…