The letters are part of the gimmickry of the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s latest national “We Are All affected” campaign against the spending cuts that will wipe out 19,200 jobs. They are a play on the nearly 24,000 affected letters the government has sent to public servants warning them the work they do could be affected by the cuts and they could lose their jobs.
So far more than 800 people have sent Harper an “affected” letter from PSAC’s website. PSAC members gave Human Resources Minister Diane Finley an affected letter this week when she stopped in Charlottetown.
The campaign is aimed at getting communities and Canadians involved in the fight against the cuts by driving home the message that cuts in food inspection, search and rescue operations, parks, or environmental protection affects Canada and the economy, not just the public servants losing their jobs.
The union is also handing out “We Are All Affected” buttons, which aren’t expected to cause the flap created by the “Harper Hates Me” buttons that were spontaneously sported by a few members in Ottawa and the Atlantic region a few months ago. Several PSAC members wore the buttons to work at the Canada Revenue Agency and were asked by managers to take them off.
They removed the buttons on the advice of the union and filed grievances. Managers argued the buttons were “derogatory” and “damaging to the employer’s reputation.”
The incident erupted into a debate on the balancing act between public servants’ freedom to express themselves and political neutrality and loyalty. Some argue it was another example of the government’s intolerance of criticism and firm grip on what public servants can say. PSAC said none of the grievances have gone beyond the first stage since they were lodged several months ago.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Kathryn May
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