Alberta NDP leadership candidate Sarah Hoffman has received some momentum from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Alberta. CUPE Alberta said it was pleased to see Hoffman pledge to raise wages for public sector employees. “Thank you to MLA and NDP leadership candidate Sarah Hoffman (@shoffmanab) for pledging support for wage increases for public sector workers,” tweeted CUPE Alberta on Wednesday. .Hoffman said she supported CUPE Alberta’s Waging Ahead campaign. “Public sector workers in this province — about a quarter of a million Albertans — have been waiting long enough,” she said. “The cost of living is out of control.” Right now, she said they “deserve meaningful wage increases.” When she thinks about education support staff, she acknowledged many of them are working hard and providing valuable services while making $30,000 per year. In this day and age, Hoffman said that is unacceptable. She added meaningful wage increases are “the only way we’re actually going to be able to retain.” “And we also need to recruit more public sector workers to provide essential services for the people of Alberta,” she said. The premium wages and generous benefits Canadian public servants enjoy compared to the private sector is one area where governments could look to reduce costs following the recession, according a 2023 study conducted by the Fraser Institute. READ MORE: Study finds Canadian government workers receive higher wages than private sector“At a time when governments across Canada are facing serious fiscal pressures as a result of the recession, bringing government sector compensation in line with the private sector would help reduce costs without necessarily affecting services,” said Fraser Institute senior fellow Ben Eisen. The Fraser Institute said government employees across Canada were paid 31.3% higher wages on average than private sector workers in 2021.
Alberta NDP leadership candidate Sarah Hoffman has received some momentum from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Alberta. CUPE Alberta said it was pleased to see Hoffman pledge to raise wages for public sector employees. “Thank you to MLA and NDP leadership candidate Sarah Hoffman (@shoffmanab) for pledging support for wage increases for public sector workers,” tweeted CUPE Alberta on Wednesday. .Hoffman said she supported CUPE Alberta’s Waging Ahead campaign. “Public sector workers in this province — about a quarter of a million Albertans — have been waiting long enough,” she said. “The cost of living is out of control.” Right now, she said they “deserve meaningful wage increases.” When she thinks about education support staff, she acknowledged many of them are working hard and providing valuable services while making $30,000 per year. In this day and age, Hoffman said that is unacceptable. She added meaningful wage increases are “the only way we’re actually going to be able to retain.” “And we also need to recruit more public sector workers to provide essential services for the people of Alberta,” she said. The premium wages and generous benefits Canadian public servants enjoy compared to the private sector is one area where governments could look to reduce costs following the recession, according a 2023 study conducted by the Fraser Institute. READ MORE: Study finds Canadian government workers receive higher wages than private sector“At a time when governments across Canada are facing serious fiscal pressures as a result of the recession, bringing government sector compensation in line with the private sector would help reduce costs without necessarily affecting services,” said Fraser Institute senior fellow Ben Eisen. The Fraser Institute said government employees across Canada were paid 31.3% higher wages on average than private sector workers in 2021.
