This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
B.C. government announces there will be no further public sector layoffs.
Vancouver (10 June 2010) - The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) has reacted with cautious optimism to the announcement by the B.C. government that there will be no further public service layoffs.
The announcement was made in a notice to employees by Allan Seckel, deputy minister to the premier and head of the B.C. public service.
"We are pleased that the provincial government appears to be listening to the concerns of front-line workers," says Darryl Walker, BCGEU president. "We have been making the point from the beginning that the ongoing cuts by government were having a negative impact on service to the public."
"Provincial government employees have been on a roller-coaster ride with the four waves of cuts they went through since September," adds Walker.
"We should take advantage of this announcement and use this as an opportunity to rebuild the public service, especially the ministry of forests and lands and the ministry of citizens' services. In the ministry of forests and lands the government's mission to manage our forests has been seriously eroded."
Walker says more than 1,100 jobs have been cut in the forest ministry alone since the Campbell government took office.
"The annual 'Work Environment Survey' of provincial government employees released this month showed a significant drop in employee engagement—an obvious response to all of the cuts," notes Walker
"I am extremely concerned that the 200-plus employees who have yet to be placed because their jobs were eliminated are not forgotten because of this decision," he adds. "There is some comfort to British Columbians who rely on the public service that the cuts this government has been doing are finished."
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE