Brad Wall's Saskatchewan Party Gov't Wants To Cut Public Service By 16%
Canadian Business Magazine
As a result of massive budgetary problems due to unprecedented fiscal incompetence, the Saskatchewan government is planning to cut the public service by 4% in each of the next 4 years for a total 16% reduction.
This attack on the public service fits nicely into the hard Right ideology of Walls disastrous government!
Regina Leader-Post
I wonder what effect this will have on the PS/GE ratification vote currently happening? Mind you by the time this was "leaked" the voting had closed at the Regina SGEU local on Broadway. That probably wasn't coincidence. The union represented the tentative agreement to the members urging ratification because if they don't the employer could not rule out some forced job loss. Now it appears they're going to whittle away at the ranks anyway regardless of whether SGEU ratifies the pending contract.
It's humane that they're using attrition and vacancy management to reduce the civil service in order to minimize job abolition. It beats just handing out pink slips. I wonder where 4% of the work is going to go? Reorganization and seeking efficiencies will not be enough. This isn't chipping away at the edges, 4% in one year is huge. They're already not an employer of choice, how do they think they'll recruit key people after this?
The savings are symbolic compared to their current forecasted shortfall, there really is no reason to do this to the public service. It appeals to their base though, who still think government workers are spoiled and overpaid. If they only knew. Cutting government jobs always plays well to the people. Too bad the people will suffer when the remaining public service can no longer give them the timely attention they once could.
Posted by Elliott Taylor | 6:28 pm, March 18, 2010