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“This is an extremely disheartening time for public employees as they now realize that the government made a choice to terminate their employment rather than seek other options which were open to them,." - Carol Furlong, NAPE President.
St. John's (22 April 2013) – Carol Furlong, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE) is reacting to the announcement that the provincial government is granting a 90 million dollar loan to the Kruger Corner Brook paper mill.
Layoffs unnecessary
“We have been saying since budget day that government’s decision to throw a thousand public employees out of work and dramatically reduce public services was a political choice based on some misguided ideology rather than their ability to pay,” said Furlong. “The 90 million dollar announcement is tangible proof that government had at its disposal the necessary funds to continue to provide essential public services.”
“This decision clearly demonstrates that government had choices other than force a thousand Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and their families into economic uncertainty,” stated Furlong. “It was a callous move to lay off public employees when government clearly had other alternatives to deal with its short term fiscal problems.”
“This is an extremely disheartening time for public employees as they now realize that the government made a choice to terminate their employment rather than seek other options which were open to them,” continued Furlong. “Government could find $90 million for Kruger but could not find the necessary funds to save public services and the jobs of a thousand Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Laying off a thousand public sector workers will have a devastating impact on the economy.”
NAPE/NUPGE once again calls on the provincial government to conduct comprehensive reviews of the departments and agencies that were affected by budget cuts and layoffs.
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