With a family that includes three boys, and a secure job, life couldn’t be better. Things looked so good, he recently bought himself new wheels. And then suddenly, out of the blue, his world began to fall apart.
Marulanda was called in last month by his bosses at Natural Resources Canada and told he was an “affected” employee, and handed a letter telling him his job was marked for elimination under the federal government’s spending cuts. With only 33 jobs for the 42 people in his unit, he’d have to compete with others for them. And he could easily be one of the nine without a job.
“I have two kids in college, we are in debt because I just bought a car, and now I may not have a job. It has caused me a lot of stress and anxiety, and it is going to have a huge impact on my family,” Marulanda said.
“I am in a fight of my life.”
As federal departments begin to roll out their plans to eliminate 19,200 jobs, the most dreaded two words in Ottawa today are the “affected letter.” This is the notice that tells public servants their job could be eliminated, and it is one workers hope they never receive. But when it arrives, as has happened to more than 10,000 people so far, it is shattering.
Many public servants, who spoke to the Citizen over several days last week after receiving the notice, talked about shattered dreams and the uncertain future that now awaits them and their families. Several spoke of stressed-out colleagues breaking down in tears, wondering how they would cope without a job and a paycheque. Union officials say the layoffs have taken such a toll that a federal program for workers with psychological problems has been inundated with distress calls.
Harold Floyd, who has worked at Library and Archives Canada for 10 years, and got his “affected letter” Monday, says workers are stressed out because they just don’t know what’s next. In his section, for instance, he and 24 others have to compete for 15 available jobs, and it is depressing to think he might be one of 10 people to lose their jobs.
“If I lose my job, which I could, it will be very hard for me and my family,” said Floyd. His wife is retired, but he has a son on the verge of going to college or university.
“You don’t sleep well. You go to bed thinking about it, you wake up thinking about it. It is with you all the time, and it is terrible.”
Edward Martin, a lands management officer at Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, says he has been on an emotional roller coaster since he got his notice Monday. The bright future he thought he had, the hope he felt in landing a federal job, and everything he dreamed of, were all suddenly very much in doubt.
“It is disheartening, and it is very difficult to stay positive because it is life-changing,” said the 39-year-old Martin.
“I am flip-flopping all over. One moment, it is like ‘I’m OK with this. I can handle this.’ And then it is all negative and you are not sure. This is toxic to a person’s well-being.”
Paulette Barker, a civilian administrative assistant at the Department of National Defence, says the problem is not just the thought of losing your job and lifeline. It is also the fact that you find yourself in a sort of “survival of the fittest” contest with colleagues for what’s left of the jobs.
Barker has worked at DND for 36 years, surviving numerous attempts to cut her job. She said 157 affected letters so far have gone out, and employees have been informed that there are two jobs for those who want to fight for them. She knows there are no more escape acts for her, and as the sole bread winner caring for a paraplegic husband, she is in very dire straits.
“They can call me ‘affected’ all they want, but I know I’ve been given the boot. I am in a single-income family, and this is putting a lot of stress on me and my family. It is causing me a lot of anxiety,” said Barker.
“It is frustrating; it makes people angry and it is making people break down emotionally,” adds David Cardinal, another Library and Archives Canada employee who is one of 10 people fighting for seven jobs in his unit.
The government is not cutting people entirely at the feet, though. For those who end up without a job, it is offering options that range from a year-long surplus notice during which the workers collect their salaries, and a buyout based on years of service and education or training. The package also includes $11,000 for tuition and other fees. But the workers say the offer is meagre and provides little future security.
Dominic Lavoie, PSAC’s national health and safety officer says there is no doubt federal workers, even those fortunate enough to keep their jobs are under tremendous stress. Many of those who have jobs are riddled with a sense of guilt, and are seeking help for problems often associated with the “survivor syndrome.” Lavoie said the federal government’s employer assistance program, which offers counselling to people with psychological and other “mental conditions,” has seen a dramatic increase in the number of calls for help.
Usually, he said, about seven per cent of workers use the service in a year, even though Health Canada, which administers the program puts the figure as high as nine per cent. Lavoie said the data now shows that in the past month, the service has dealt with as many calls as the counsellors usually get in a year.
“That’s a great number of people who show signs of distress and are asking for help,” Lavoie said.
“But that’s the tip of the iceberg because the number of people that call the hotline doesn’t represent the whole number of people who have issues.”
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Mohammed Adam
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