Public sector grievances continue as the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) entered another spat with Alberta’s government to increase member wages..AUPE filed this week a collective bargaining complaint to the Alberta Labour Relations Board amid ongoing bargaining negotiations with the province..Alberta’s Treasury Board and Finance said the complaint is without merit..“The Government of Alberta is bargaining in good faith,” Minister Travis Toews said in a press release..AUPE’s complaint focuses on the government’s proposal, which is standard procedure for the bargaining process..Alberta’s government is currently negotiating a new collective agreement with more than 21,000 unionized Alberta Public Service Employees represented by the AUPE. They have met several times since early 2020 and agreed to pause negotiations for much of the past year due to the pandemic..The parties met again at the beginning of February and focused on the agreement’s non-monetary aspects. While there are still items that need to be discussed, both sides continue to work together and make significant progress..They will meet again in March to continue the dialogue towards a new agreement..“The proposal that the government of Alberta has set is reasonable,” said Toews in response to the AUPE-led push for an additional $200 million in public sector wages..This push comes amid the government offering up a one-time payment of $1,200 to frontline workers, including grocery clerks, healthcare and education professionals, and others who engaged in high-risk, public-facing work with the continued easing of public health measures..In 2019-20, Alberta spent $27.3 billion on public sector compensation, representing a whopping 54 per cent of the Alberta government’s operating budget. It is the largest single expense in the provincial budget..“Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide economic recession, there is an added urgency to get the province’s spending under control,” said Toews..“In these tough economic times, Albertans expect that the government will be responsible stewards of the public purse,” he said..With more than half of Alberta’s funds paying public sector compensation, including nurses, healthcare professionals, teachers and those who work for the government, finding compensation efficiencies will allow more funds to go toward the programs and services that Albertans need..“The government needs to ensure this cost is fair and results in the highest level of services for Albertans,” said Toews..“We will make every reasonable effort to negotiate and work through next steps in the process to reach an agreement that reflects the province’s current economic and fiscal reality.”.Putting things into perspective, each 1 per cent increase in public sector compensation costs taxpayers $270 million annually – funding that could go to healthcare, education and other vital services..The Western Standard reached out to the AUPE for comment with no response at the time of publication..Dhaliwal is the Western Standard’s Edmonton reporter.
Public sector grievances continue as the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) entered another spat with Alberta’s government to increase member wages..AUPE filed this week a collective bargaining complaint to the Alberta Labour Relations Board amid ongoing bargaining negotiations with the province..Alberta’s Treasury Board and Finance said the complaint is without merit..“The Government of Alberta is bargaining in good faith,” Minister Travis Toews said in a press release..AUPE’s complaint focuses on the government’s proposal, which is standard procedure for the bargaining process..Alberta’s government is currently negotiating a new collective agreement with more than 21,000 unionized Alberta Public Service Employees represented by the AUPE. They have met several times since early 2020 and agreed to pause negotiations for much of the past year due to the pandemic..The parties met again at the beginning of February and focused on the agreement’s non-monetary aspects. While there are still items that need to be discussed, both sides continue to work together and make significant progress..They will meet again in March to continue the dialogue towards a new agreement..“The proposal that the government of Alberta has set is reasonable,” said Toews in response to the AUPE-led push for an additional $200 million in public sector wages..This push comes amid the government offering up a one-time payment of $1,200 to frontline workers, including grocery clerks, healthcare and education professionals, and others who engaged in high-risk, public-facing work with the continued easing of public health measures..In 2019-20, Alberta spent $27.3 billion on public sector compensation, representing a whopping 54 per cent of the Alberta government’s operating budget. It is the largest single expense in the provincial budget..“Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide economic recession, there is an added urgency to get the province’s spending under control,” said Toews..“In these tough economic times, Albertans expect that the government will be responsible stewards of the public purse,” he said..With more than half of Alberta’s funds paying public sector compensation, including nurses, healthcare professionals, teachers and those who work for the government, finding compensation efficiencies will allow more funds to go toward the programs and services that Albertans need..“The government needs to ensure this cost is fair and results in the highest level of services for Albertans,” said Toews..“We will make every reasonable effort to negotiate and work through next steps in the process to reach an agreement that reflects the province’s current economic and fiscal reality.”.Putting things into perspective, each 1 per cent increase in public sector compensation costs taxpayers $270 million annually – funding that could go to healthcare, education and other vital services..The Western Standard reached out to the AUPE for comment with no response at the time of publication..Dhaliwal is the Western Standard’s Edmonton reporter.
