The ACT government's City and Environment Directorate is planning to cut between 130 roles, representing 3 to 5 per cent of its workforce, in response to ongoing budget pressures.

Director-General Dave Peffer announced the voluntary redundancy program on Thursday, emphasising that participation is entirely optional and no staff will be forced to leave.

The directorate, which oversees critical services including public transport, waste management, city planning, development, and environmental sustainability, aims to maintain essential operations while adjusting to financial realities.

Peffer noted that other efficiency measures have already been implemented this year, such as a 40 per cent reduction in senior executive positions and streamlining management layers to focus resources on frontline services.Risk assessments will be conducted for any accepted redundancies, and unions will be consulted before final decisions.

The Community and Public Sector Union expressed disappointment, warning that further job losses could lead to an overworked workforce and reduced service quality for Canberrans.

Union officials highlighted concerns about increased workloads without proper compensation and potential long-term impacts on environmental initiatives and public space maintenance.

The announcement comes amid broader negotiations for enterprise agreements across the ACT public service, with recent strike action by Housing ACT staff seeking pay rises matching inflation.The directorate will assess expressions of interest carefully to avoid disrupting vital community services.