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"You can’t expect front line services to remain intact or improve when resources are continually dwindling.” - MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky.
Winnipeg (17 April 2013) – Manitoba’s Minister of Finance, Stan Struthers, tabled the 2013 budget in the Legislature on April 16 which contains several items of importance to members of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU/NUPGE).
Specifically, members will want to know that:
· the budgets of eleven departments will be either frozen or reduced;
· overall departmental spending increases will be limited to 2.1 per cent;
· program efficiency reviews will be initiated; and
· Manitoba’s universities and colleges had their increases cut in half (universities received a five per cent increase in 2012, will receive 2.5 per cent in 2013; colleges received four per cent in 2012, will receive two per cent in 2013).
“Obviously, we’re very concerned about those departments that have been identified for freezes and cuts,” said MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky. “Members are telling us that they are already struggling everyday with staffing shortfalls and that something is going to give. You can pay for all the efficiency reviews you want, but you can’t expect front line services to remain intact or improve when resources are continually dwindling.”
The MGEU/NUPGE commissioned a pre-budget poll of the public to gauge the priorities across the Province and Manitobans strongly supported maintaining vital programs and services. Members have been worried about growing workplace stress because they are continually being asked to do more with less.
With economies around the world still uncertain and another potentially devastating flood year ahead of us, Gawronsky said the union expected the Government to announce plans for increasing revenue. “What we don’t understand is why they chose an increase to the PST when they could’ve just listened to Manitobans. When we polled them, Manitobans told us quite clearly that any new revenues should come from corporations and upper income Manitobans who’ve benefited most from our economy.”
Gawronsky also acknowledged that not all the news was discouraging.
“The Government has said they’ll be increasing funding to departments like Corrections and Child Protection, two areas that we know are in critical need of improvements. But our job now is to go through the budget line by line and interpret what it all means for our members and the front line services they’re trying so hard to provide to their fellow Manitobans.”
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