November 28, 2001

No Paper Pushers: Jail Guards Facing Layoffs

Solicitor General Rich Coleman is reported as saying that some of the province's minimum security jails could be closed to cut costs.

Do you suppose that is because:

1) There is less need for jails;
2) They are cutting court funding;
3) They are cutting funding for the police; or
4) Campbell is soft on crime?

There are firms that specialize in helping companies that need to beef up their human resources departments for things like layoffs. Those firms go in and provide counseling, minimize the risk to the employer of unjust dismissal suits, protect the employer's property and do other dirty work. By coincidence, on the same day that Coleman speculated on closing prisons, government put out a request for proposals from firms who handle all aspects of layoffs including recovering government property and driving the victim home.

November 27, 2001

Good management could produce a list!

A former BC Liberal caucus staffer, and now political pundit on CBC radio, did a rant Monday morning claiming that laying off 11,000 public sector employees is just "good management". Her only claim for the massive layoff being consistent with Premier Campbell's New Era Document, the list of election promises, is based on providing good management. A half hour later, Premier Campbell appeared on CKNW's Rafe Mair show and justified layoffs by claiming he changing the way government works.

Since when is it good management to eliminate programs and services so as to meet a layoff target? Wouldn't good management look at what programs and services are needed and then adjust staffing levels to meet those requirements? Good management would provide a list of programs that are facing the ax.

Schedule G (summarized below) to the fiscal year 2001-02 provincial budget estimates lists full time equivalent employment by ministry. If 11,000 people are going have their jobs eliminated, then they will have to come from the following list. While the government isn't telling us precisely where, it is evident that with average budget cuts of 35% in each ministry, areas like Children and Family Development, Forests, Attorney General and Human Resources will have to lead the list of layoffs.

Good management would be able to tell the people of BC what the consequences of those layoffs will be for the less fortunate British Columbians who depend on those Ministries.

Click on layoffs for more articles on the cuts.