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'The BCGEU will continue to assist impacted members and try to achieve voluntary placement options as much as we are able.'
Vancouver (15 July 2010) - More members of the British Columbia Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) received employment security notices Thursday, marking the end of the initial 90-day placement process under Article 13 of the collective agreement.
This follows initial notices in April when the government announced the third round of job redundancies in the public service. The impacted departments are the ministry of energy, mines and petroleum resources, the ministry of forests and range and the Integrated Lands Management Bureau (ILMB).
Approximately 200 members who received redundancy notices in April have been in the first stage of the placement process with the assistance of Article 29 Joint Committees. During this first stage, members are considered for alternate job placement opportunities primarily in their own community. This process takes 90 days. Significant efforts have been underway through this timeframe which has resulted in many members being placed into alternate jobs, taking severance, or retiring.
With the completion of the first phase, the Joint Workforce Adjustment Steering Committee (WASC) looks for opportunities across all ministries and in all areas of the province. The new employment security language contained in the recently negotiated 15th Master Agreement ensures that all regular members will at the very least receive a reasonable offer of alternative employment in the public service.
The province has recently said that these cuts, which have been previously announced, mark the end of any further "budget related" job cuts. However, it is still anticipated that many ministries will not fill vacant jobs as the province uses attrition to achieve a total of 4,000 job cuts over three years. This target was set in the last budget and service plans.
Of the total number of public service jobs which have been cut so far, BCGEU members have absorbed a majority. A total of 536 members have received notices under Article 13.1 of the collective agreement.
"This is clearly a time of great stress for all members, and certainly the impacted members will feel singled out as they proceed through the collective agreement placement process," the union says.
"The BCGEU will continue to assist impacted members and try to achieve voluntary placement options as much as we are able. If members have questions about the ongoing placement process, or have any particular concerns or problems, they should contact their local steward and the union co-chair of their ministry’s Article 29 committee."
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