Government pushes ahead with more workforce adjustment--makes employment security language in tentative agreement even more important

The government has announced more job redundancies effective today, April 12, 2010. The impacts will be felt in some of the resource management ministries – the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, the Ministry of Forests & Range, and the Integrated Lands Management Bureau. Approximately 200 members will receive redundancy notices.

“The new employment security language will ensure that all regular members will at the very least receive a reasonable offer of alternative employment in the public service,” says BCGEU president Darryl Walker. “Without the new language, some of them would have been looking at layoff notices before being given any other options.”

The union has negotiated employment security provisions - Article 13 and Memorandum of Understanding #1. These provisions provide a number of important rights: guarantees that impacted members will receive a reasonable offer of other employment.

During the informal first stage, the employee is considered for placement opportunities in their own ministry. This process takes up to 90 days. If no placement occurs in the first phase, the Joint Workforce Adjustment Steering Committee looks for opportunities across all ministries, in all areas of the province.

“I know this is a time of great stress for all members, and certainly the impacted members will feel singled out,” Walker added.  “As the government continues to let the public service shrink, our employment security provisions become increasingly important.”

Even though B.C. has one of the leanest public services in Canada, the recent budget tabled by the BC Liberals promises that over the next few years a further 3,500 public service jobs will be eliminated. The government’s human resources plan projects the public service could be 30 percent smaller by 2015. In the coming months we can expect even more ministries and agencies will announce redundancies.

In the face of this government strategy to make the public service ever leaner, the union’s bargaining committee is recommending that members vote yes to the agreement which builds on the employment security provisions. Without these provisions, members receiving redundancy notices will be more vulnerable and have fewer options.

If members have questions about the ongoing placement process, or have any particular concerns or problems, they should contact their local steward and the union co-chair of their ministry’s Article 29 committee. For those receiving redundancy notices this week, the union representatives are:

Christine McCarthy christine.a.mccarthy@gov.bc.ca (Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources)

Dean Draper dean.draper@gov.bc.ca (Forest and Range, and Integrated Land Management Bureau)