The public health promoter swallowed hard and applied for the city buyout package that, in exchange for ending her 30-year career a month or two early, will put “tens of thousands of dollars” in her pocket.
“I had to do it quickly and seal the envelope and leave the office because it really felt bad (applying),” said the city worker, who asked for anonymity because she's not authorized to speak about the buyout.
She had planned to retire in January.
“I feel like there's a gun to my head. I feel undervalued and if anyone wants to know about morale among city workers right now, it's in the toilet.”
The pressure comes from Mayor Rob Ford, who has warned workers they should take the package or face possible layoffs, and not from her superiors, who want her to stay at a job she loves, she said: “I help people and they tell me how much I have helped them.”
She asked for the buyout package in hopes it might prevent a junior colleague from being targeted for layoff, but she is now worried she'll be told to leave in October before she can finish and hand off her work.
“I don't feel good about taxpayers getting nothing for this money.”
The 17,000 eligible city workers have until Sept. 9 to apply for the buyout in exchange for a lump sum — three weeks' salary per year of service for union members, four weeks per year for managers, up to a total of six months.
Those who had already submitted paperwork for retirement are ineligible.
Ford made the layoff threat after the Star reported that relatively few workers had expressed interest in leaving as early as October and no later than Dec. 31.
David Whitten, a Toronto employment lawyer who has studied the city's buyout plan, calls it “badly flawed” and “reckless.”
He predicts that shedding staff so quickly will lead to service disruptions.
As well, the package will primarily attract those about to retire and the “best and the brightest” who can flit to another job, he said, while those who ask for the package and are rejected will be resentful and less productive.
He said the city should have determined which jobs can be eliminated and then laid off the employees in them, with a richer, more flexible package.
“At the end of the day, nobody is guaranteed a job for life. If you're going to lose it, you might as well maximize your recovery,” he said.
“The city's intentions are good but, like a lot things Rob Ford has unveiled, the buyout is a quick move aimed at quick recovery, without a lot of forethought.”
Jackie DeSouza, a spokeswoman for the city, said Whitten's proposal could lead to disgruntled employees and would be costlier to implement.
“Such a program could also lead to allegations that the selection criteria that were applied violated the Human Rights Code,” she said.
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
“I had to do it quickly and seal the envelope and leave the office because it really felt bad (applying),” said the city worker, who asked for anonymity because she's not authorized to speak about the buyout.
She had planned to retire in January.
“I feel like there's a gun to my head. I feel undervalued and if anyone wants to know about morale among city workers right now, it's in the toilet.”
The pressure comes from Mayor Rob Ford, who has warned workers they should take the package or face possible layoffs, and not from her superiors, who want her to stay at a job she loves, she said: “I help people and they tell me how much I have helped them.”
She asked for the buyout package in hopes it might prevent a junior colleague from being targeted for layoff, but she is now worried she'll be told to leave in October before she can finish and hand off her work.
“I don't feel good about taxpayers getting nothing for this money.”
The 17,000 eligible city workers have until Sept. 9 to apply for the buyout in exchange for a lump sum — three weeks' salary per year of service for union members, four weeks per year for managers, up to a total of six months.
Those who had already submitted paperwork for retirement are ineligible.
Ford made the layoff threat after the Star reported that relatively few workers had expressed interest in leaving as early as October and no later than Dec. 31.
David Whitten, a Toronto employment lawyer who has studied the city's buyout plan, calls it “badly flawed” and “reckless.”
He predicts that shedding staff so quickly will lead to service disruptions.
As well, the package will primarily attract those about to retire and the “best and the brightest” who can flit to another job, he said, while those who ask for the package and are rejected will be resentful and less productive.
He said the city should have determined which jobs can be eliminated and then laid off the employees in them, with a richer, more flexible package.
“At the end of the day, nobody is guaranteed a job for life. If you're going to lose it, you might as well maximize your recovery,” he said.
“The city's intentions are good but, like a lot things Rob Ford has unveiled, the buyout is a quick move aimed at quick recovery, without a lot of forethought.”
Jackie DeSouza, a spokeswoman for the city, said Whitten's proposal could lead to disgruntled employees and would be costlier to implement.
“Such a program could also lead to allegations that the selection criteria that were applied violated the Human Rights Code,” she said.
Origin
Source: Toronto Star
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