Treasury Board President Tony Clement was questioned about the way the government was managing its cuts following revelations that a Justice Canada lawyer committed suicide after he and his wife received “affected letters” putting them on notice that their jobs were in jeopardy.
“It’s not my place to respond to this question,” he said following Question Period on Thursday.
“I am not here to jump to any conclusions and advise you not to do the same. I mean this is a personal tragedy. I think you would be well-advised to have your thoughts and prayers for the family of that person.”
Radio-Canada reported that the lawyer worked in a unit with 32 lawyers who were going to have to compete against each other for the 11 positions that would remain after the cuts were implemented. His wife said her deceased husband worked long hours, was already suffering from anxiety, and even cancelled his vacation to continue working.
All departments have a 24-hour crisis line with its employee assistance program, which screen calls and can refer them for help. By all accounts, the calls since departments began issuing notices in April have significantly increased. Health Canada monitors the employee assistance program and is updated on the number and nature of the calls.
Clement dodged questions whether he received reports or documents about the stress or anxiety levels of employees since the cuts began.
“It’s a tragedy, for sure. My thoughts are with the family and the friends of this person for sure.”
The public service already has a reputation as one of the most stressed-out workforces in the country. Its sick days, absenteeism and mental health claims are among the highest in Canada and unions expect those numbers to continue to rise as the cuts continue over the next three years.
About 48 per cent of all health claims filed by public servants are for mental health claims, often for depression and anxiety. As of August, those claims were already 13 per cent higher than last year.
The government has come under fire for unnecessarily fanning stress and anxiety in the workplace by issuing thousands of “affected” letters to workers who won’t end up losing their jobs. Many of those workers have been left in limbo, uncertain as to whether they will keep a job or not. The government has so far issued 23,000 affected letters since April. It is aiming to shed 19,200 jobs by time the spending cuts are implemented over the next three years,
Critics argue this uncertainty, coupled with having to compete with colleagues for jobs, has added to the stress. They argue the cuts should have been done quickly and not dragged out.
Others argue the government sent the wrong signal by giving managers bonuses tied to the jobs and spending they cut.
Clement’s office could not be reached for comment.
Ron Cochrane, co-chair of the National Joint Council, which represents unions and management, said much of the problem is that the departments are struggling to meet the targets of the three rounds of cuts the Conservatives have imposed “too fast and too much.”
“People are losing their jobs for no fault of their own. Someone else is making a decision that will impact their lives and I think this illustrates the government is acting in haste and asking too much of departments,” he said
“We have stressed on a number of occasions (the cuts) will affect the lives of people, it will impact on not only them but the people around them as well as their individual circumstances. We are not talking about widgets. The people are real and they need to be treated with respect and dignity.”
Unions have increasingly raised concerns about departments not being sensitive to workers’ anxiety. They have urged governments not to send out notices on Fridays or holidays in case employees don’t have support and have to deal with losing a job alone over the weekend.
Some say the government’s approach has been much more “hard-nosed” and “mean-spirited” compared to the downsizing of the 1990s when the Liberals shed 50,000 jobs in the public service.
“There’s a feeling that the goal is ensure as few people as possible will get money to leave the public service. It’s mean, mean, “ said Claude Poirier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees. The same government that spent millions to save the auto industry wants to downsize the public service as cheap as possible.”
Original Article
Source: windsor star
Author: KATHRYN MAY
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