Premier Brad Wall has announced a wage freeze for all senior government officials, including cabinet ministers.
“With the revenue challenges we are facing, our government is committed to controlling operating spending,” Wall said. “I believe those measures have to start at the top and that’s the intent of this wage freeze.”
The wage freeze applies to:
The Premier and Cabinet Ministers;
Senior managers and out-of-scope (non-unionized) executive government employees;
Senior managers and out-of-scope Crown Corporation employees; and
Out-of-scope health region employees.
The wage freeze will cover the 2015-16 fiscal year for executive government and the 2015 fiscal year for Crown Corporations.
The government will also be writing to all school divisions and post-secondary institutions requesting that they apply the same policy.
Across government, the wage freeze is expected to save $15 million.
Wall said he also wants the wage freeze to apply to all MLAs. He has asked the government members on the Board of Internal Economy, which governs MLA salaries, to implement the wage freeze.
MLAs and ministers normally receive an annual cost of living increase tied to the Consumer Price Index on April 1 each year. In 2015, that increase was scheduled to be 2.4 per cent.
“Our caucus met yesterday and strongly supported a wage freeze for cabinet ministers and government MLAs,” Wall said.
