OPSEU Local 635 – North Bay
Media Advisory: Ontario Public Service Job Cuts will Impact North Bay
North Bay ON – July 13, 2011
Beginning on July 14 the McGuinty government will begin handing out pink slips to OPSEU represented employees working in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) across Ontario. Over 1000 jobs will be cut province wide and the city of North Bay will be impacted. Just what exactly the impact is for the North Bay area will not be known until OPSEU Members get their lay-off notices over the next couple of weeks.
“This round of cuts will have a far reaching and hurtful impact on communities” says Eric Morin, Vice President of OPSEU Local 635, North Bay. Not only will there be job cuts, but citizens will see service cuts as well.
Morin added, “Unlike previous job cuts, the McGuinty government is not offering access to voluntary exit to early retirement options. Sadly this will mean that many young skilled workers will bear the brunt of the lay-offs and will be left without a job. It could also mean that more young talent will leave the city in search of work.”
“This is a bad business decision by this government” says Morin. “When you consider that a significant portion of public service worker will qualify for pensions in the next three to four years, it makes no sense to fire people now only to start looking for new hires, who need to be trained, in a few short years.”
“Voluntary early retirement options make good business sense” Morin continued. “They allow older workers to retire and continue to make an economic contribution to their communities, while allowing young workers to keep their jobs and stay here in the city as well. It’s a real win-win.”
Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced in last spring’s budget that they would cut the OPS by 1,500 positions between 2012 and 2014. This is over and above 3,400 positions to be cut by March 2012, announced in 2009 Budget.
“This is clearly a political move by the McGuinty Liberals to downsize and to prove he can match the Hudak Conservatives when it comes to their mean spirited promises to cut public service jobs”, says Morin. “The Premier is also going back on his promise to reduce the public service by attrition. Sadly this broken promise will hurt young working families now; it will further erode their future opportunities for good jobs in our region.”
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Hi, Eric. I'm a big supporter of your writing, if not your message, and I wanted to know what I could do for the cause without supporting the NDP, since I have grave concerns about Horwath's campaign platform.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge fan of unions, even as a member. I'm a young man in an old industry and find that unions tend to protect their older members at the expense of their young, (something that the 'debt crisis' is doing as well,) and I see the two as being interconnected. I've worked contract for four years, and only recently learned that in order to uphold obligations to retired members, if I want to stay here, I have to work with no pension or consideration.
What would you recommend I do, if I just think Horwath (and really any elected official no matter the party, let's be honest) is going to keep up the same old, same old of putting retirees and debtors before people like myself, the people who saved their whole lives and are going to be expected to work through this crisis and fix things for half the pay and none of the benefits older workers are receiving?