Wednesday, January 26, 2022
For too long, Ontario governments have devalued the contributions of the province’s public servants, says AMAPCEO, the union representing more than 15,000 professional public servants in the Ontario Public Service and six broader public sector agencies.
During a virtual appearance at a consultation with Chair Ernie Hardeman and members of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs in advance of the 2022 provincial Budget, AMAPCEO President Dave Bulmer called the government’s next budget to:
- repeal Bill 124 immediately;
- ensure that Ontario’s minimum wage is a living one; and
- guarantee a minimum of five paid sick days for all employees.
“Implementing these recommendations would improve the province’s public services, working conditions, and broader economic outlook,” Bulmer said.
Repeal Bill 124 to better value public services and public servants
Bulmer pointed out that AMAPCEO members pride themselves on providing the government and its agencies with non-partisan, impartial, professional advice.
“However, from whiplash starts-and-stops in education, to the inconsistent distribution of rapid tests, to a healthcare system on the brink, you have to wonder if the government has heeded the expert advice it’s received,” Bulmer said.
The union also identified the government’s overreliance on outsourcing as stifling the growth of a knowledge base in the public service while lining the pockets of private firms at significant public expense.
And while this devaluing of public services is now in sharper focus, it’s hardly new.
“While the government has exacerbated matters with program cuts and a misguided hiring freeze, we need only look back as far as the last election to find the former Premier bragging about Ontario having the ‘leanest’ public service,” Bulmer said. “A public service on which her government spent ‘less per capita than any province in Canada.’”
It’s not too late to turn over a new leaf, he pointed out.
“Repealing Bill 124 would help show public servants the respect they deserve,” he said.
The legislation tramples more than one million public servants’ rights to free and fair collective bargaining by unilaterally limiting wage increases to a maximum of one per cent a year for three years.
“Beyond this wrongful limitation on wages, the legislation has exacerbated staffing shortages in vital areas of the public service, such as nursing,” Bulmer said.
“We stand in solidarity with Ontario’s nurses, and indeed, all public sector workers affected by this legislation. Repeal it now.”
Improve protections and working conditions for all employees
Bulmer noted that the Ford government has become noticeably more active on labour and employment issues as the province gets closer to the June election. In addition to increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, the government has made some positive, incremental updates to Employment Standards Act and set about researching the future of work in Ontario.
“While this adds up to a good start,” Bulmer said, “there is more to be done.”
The union is calling for the government to ensure the province’s minimum wage is a living wage to help get more Ontarians out of poverty, and in turn, benefit the economy overall.
“The results of living wage legislation is clear: boosted consumer spending, a reduced unemployment rate, higher worker productivity, lower turnover, and lower employer costs for hiring and training,” Bulmer said. “Let’s get it done.”
Lastly, the union is pressuring the government to guarantee at least five paid sick days for every worker in Ontario.
“Not doing so risks undoing all the progress we’ve made together against this pandemic,” Bulmer said. “There’s no reason Ontario isn’t a leader on this.”
Consultations a prelude to formal submission
Bulmer’s appearance at the consultation meeting was followed by the union’s formal written pre-Budget submission to the Legislature’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.
Considering the government’s strict submission length limit, AMAPCEO prioritized the same recommendations.
Read AMAPCEO’s full budget submission »
