November 21, 2001

Workforce Adjustment Is NOT the Same as Layoff

New Speak has desended to new low in the New Era! The new government LAYOFF WEBSITE is titled "Workforce Adjustment".

Misleading titles for New Era propaganda is not new. When the Campbell government gave a golden handshake equal to 25 years of work at minimum wage to a Deputy Minister who had worked for 5 months, they titled the news release "New Deputy Minister of Health Planning Appointed". When they fired, or failed to renew the contract, of the Mental Health Advocate, they titled the news release "Minister of State Assures Advocacy for Mental Health". Now they mock the workers and families of public service workers by calling their layoff "Workforce Adjustment".

The government that promised to be the most open BC has ever seen is proving to be the more deceptive than anyone deserves.

November 20, 2001

A Shift to the Far Right
No one voted for this!

Government announced yet another staged cabinet meeting for Wednesday, November 21st, at the same time it announced that it was getting rid of a third of its workforce over the next three years.

The layoff website that was launched provides preliminary information on the layoffs starting with a message to employees and ending with a link to the staged cabinet meetings. A list of Ministry Human Resource contacts is provided for those visiting the site. Of course, one third of the folks on that list will no longer be needed by March 31, 2004.

The message given to employees ends by saying "Whether your future lies within or outside the provincial public service, the Premier and Cabinet hope you will benefit from their efforts to create a thriving spirit of free enterprise and ensure British Columbia a prosperous future." It takes a really twisted sense of priorities to think that people looking for resume preparation would want click on a link and watch Premier Campbell read his script at a staged cabinet meeting.

Up to 11,000 people and their families who are shown the door by Premier Campbell's "thriving spirit" have not been idle. They protect our forests, safeguard our environment, care for abused children, guard prisons and perform thousands of other tasks that are essential for the other 4 million British Columbians. With one condescending slide government claims that people are still the foundation of the public service while suggesting that five initiatives ranging from fiscal constraint to deregulation will make people less necessary.

Hopefully the 11,000 people and their families will eventually get their lives back together and move on (if not forward). The 4 million British Columbians who will lose essential services may not be as fortunate. We won't have to wait until 2004 before the 4 million start to see and feel how they are paying for the foolish tax cuts.