Wynne’s real test will come with the budget: OPSEU

In the weeks ahead OPSEU/NUPGE will assess Wynne’s government to see if the new Premier will commit to preserving quality public services in Ontario and ensuring that services are delivered by professional public sector workers.

Toronto (1 Mar. 2013) — The President of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) said that while Premier Wynne’s first throne speech had some promising aspects, it will be her first budget that really spells out the direction of the Ontario government.

“While we’re encouraged that the Liberals will allow people on social assistance to keep more of what they earn, it appears that Wynne’s government still wants to move forward on downloading Ontario Disability Support to the municipalities,” said Thomas. “This will result in a reduction of benefits for sole-support parents on disability.”

Thomas said that, in the weeks ahead, OPSEU/NUPGE will continue to assess Wynne’s government to see if the new Premier will commit to preserving quality public services in Ontario and ensuring that services are delivered by professional public sector workers.

“We are certainly not ‘partners’ with the Liberal government, and our priorities for public services are very clear,” Thomas said. “We want assurances that this government will respect the collective bargaining process for all unionized workers in this province.”

Thomas also hopes this government will focus on putting resources towards the “99 per cent” instead of continuing the course of billion dollar tax breaks for rich and profitable corporations. “We intend to put suggestions forward for the next Ontario budget, and it is our expectation that we can have an open and honest dialogue with the government that will result in making lives better for working Ontarians,” Thomas said. “While economic costs are important, we hope that the new Premier will focus on the human cost of service cuts and strke a better balance than her predecessor."

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