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“The inconsistency in what government is saying and what government is doing is unbelievable. There is clearly a credibility issue here.” - Carol Furlong, NAPE President.
St. John's (03 May 2013) – Carol Furlong, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE) says government hit public sector workers with a double whammy this week.
Appointments made while hundreds laid off
“First, we were shocked to learn that ten senior public service appointments were made by government at the same time that hundreds of public employees were being laid off. And then, after cutting these jobs, government announces that the hiring freeze was suddenly being lifted,” said Furlong. “The inconsistency in what government is saying and what government is doing is unbelievable. There is clearly a credibility issue here.”
Government dumps process to re-employ workers
“If government had vacant positions they should have conducted an assessment of workers being laid off to see if they could fill these positions as opposed to causing pain and suffering to the affected workers and their families,” said Furlong. “Instead, government did away with the Re-employment Priority Policy which would give laid-off workers the first opportunity at jobs that become available. This is all about choice. Clearly, government did not have to lay off all these workers.”
“This is not how you treat people. There is nothing honorable in the callous manner in which government has handled these layoffs,” said Furlong.
NAPE/NUPGE renews call to review layoffs
NAPENUPGE is renewing its call for the government to conduct reviews of the cuts in all 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