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“The people of the province deserve to know what this government is spending to outsource and duplicate efforts on the negotiations front. Our members deserve to know what their employer is paying to have a law firm take them on at the bargaining table.” — Jerry Earle, NAPE President
St. John's (18 July 2017) — Records released to the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE) under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPPA) show that the provincial government paid out over $71,000 to McInnes Cooper law firm during the first quarter of this year.
Province spending $350 or more per hour on public sector negotiations
This brings the total for services rendered thus far to: $266,666.85.
To put this in perspective, it would take a minimum wage earner nearly 12 years of straight work at 40 hours per week to earn that amount — before taxes and deductions.
Last year, the government hired the services of McInnes Cooper to deal with public sector negotiations. The contract means the province is spending $350 or more per hour on public sector negotiations.
“We will continue to file access requests and share the information with the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Jerry Earle, NAPE President. “The people of the province deserve to know what this government is spending to outsource and duplicate efforts on the negotiations front. Our members deserve to know what their employer is paying to have a law firm take them on at the bargaining table.”