On a February 16 morning show, Minister of Finance Rosann Wowchuk announced the government would be offering two years of zero percent to all public service employees, including nurses.
MGEU President Peter Olfert responded with strong words about both the timing of the announcement, and the wisdom of such cuts.
“I’m surprised and disappointed that the Minister would come out like this and begin negotiating through the media,” he told several news outlets. “Our Master contract for government employees doesn’t even expire until March 26. We haven’t even sat down at the table yet. If the government has a position to put forward, the time to do it is during negotiations.”
Olfert went on to add that in times of recession, it’s best to remember the economy has twin engines -- public and private.
“We’ve consistently said we believe when the private engine is dragging, you need to stimulate the public sector to bring things up to speed. If the government is worried about the deficit, they need to get the economy going. Cutbacks for public sector workers alone won’t slay the deficit, but a growing economy will.”
To drive this message home, President Olfert is encouraging all MGEU members to fill out the 2010 pre-budget questionnaire to voice their opinions about what they feel should be a priority in the next budget. Fill out the anonymous questionnaire at http://www.gov.mb.ca/finance/consult/questionnaire.html.
Civil Service bargaining is expected to begin in mid-March. The Master Civil Service contract covers over 12,000 MGEU members who work directly for the Province. No contracts which have already been ratified, including Crown corporations, will be affected by the Government’s recent announcements.