News that the provincial government is expecting to roll back wages by 3.5 per cent for the public sector has been met with a divided reaction.
Among those opposed to the government plans is Canadian Union of Public Employees, the largest public sector union. According to CUPE, a letter had been sent to the unions that states the government expects “a 3.5 per cent roll back in boards and agencies, school divisions, health regions, the post-secondary education sector and government ministries.” The roll backs could come in the form of unpaid holidays or a direct wage roll back, according to the news release.
In a statement, CUPE slammed the proposal, saying wage roll backs for public sector workers would weaken the economy. They also blamed the government for running a $1.2 billion deficit.
“We are facing a budget deficit today because of this government’s reckless decisions. They have sold off or given away sources of revenue, buried us in expensive P3 and Lean contracts, and now the only solution they have for a situation they created is to punish frontline workers,” said Tom Graham, president of CUPE Saskatchewan, in a statement.
He called a 3.5 per cent wage decrease “a significant loss of wages” for many CUPE members.
“We are not talking about high level bureaucrats: many of our members are precarious, part time, casual or only work on a seasonal basis. This roll back will have dire consequences for families across Saskatchewan.”
Graham also said the decision could impact the quality of public services for education and health care.
CUPE planned a rally for March 8 at the legislature to fight the cuts. Other public sector unions were to attend as well. Among them were members of the Saskatchewan Government Employees Union, who planned to send buses of supporters to the rally from various points in the province. According to their website a bus was scheduled to leave near the Walmart parking lot in North Battleford at 7 a.m. that morning.
In a statement, SGEU said the attempt to have public sector workers to take a 3.5 per cent decrease, while in the middle of collective bargaining, demonstrated a lack of respect for the bargaining process.
“We’re disappointed that government is interfering with the bargaining process,” says SGEU president Bob Bymoen in a statement. “If they were bargaining in good faith, as they claim to be, they would’ve raised this at the table instead of announcing it publicly.”
Bymoen added the government was “using the deficit as an excuse to attack public services and the employees who provide them.”
Meanwhile Todd MacKay, prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, has voiced support for the government’s move to trim compensation.
“A dip in pay is never fun, but it’s a reality that many families across the province have been dealing with during the past few years and bureaucrats can’t be immune to that reality,” said MacKay in a statement.
“We have to get the deficit under control and the only realistic way to do that is by controlling compensation costs.”
MacKay added that the province had “ignored runaway deficits in the past and we’ve paid a heavy price. Now is the time to get back to balanced budgets and make sure our finances are healthy. It’s good to see the provincial government taking real action.”
