Government of Alberta hiring freeze not unexpected, not without problems

Posted July 28, 2009 in Government Services and tagged with fiscal, government

EDMONTON – A memo to Alberta Public Service employees announcing a hiring freeze was not unexpected but will undoubtedly hinder the ability of the public service employees to provide the programs and services at the level expected by Albertans, says Alberta Union of Provincial Employees President Doug Knight.

“This effort by the government to balance the books with a hiring freeze wasn’t unexpected, given the well-known deficit situation of the province. We’ve heard of similar unofficial hiring freeze policies in other sectors before this official statement from government,” said Knight.

“The idea that a hiring freeze can be implemented without consequences is problematic,” Knight continued, adding, “there is no doubt that this will increase workloads across the public service, will negatively affect employees’ health and most likely the timely delivery of programs and services.”

As an example, Knight pointed to recent figures on Long-Term Disability Insurance the union received from Alberta Corporate Human Resources.

“The most recent figures we have show 33 per cent of the 1,100 Long-Term Disability Insurance claims in government are related to mental health issues. When we’re reviewing these cases, they are almost always related to workplace stress,” Knight said.

“A hiring freeze is only going to increase these problems. It’s a vicious circle with a hiring freeze – stressed employees leave the workplace and those that remain end up with even bigger workloads and more stress,” he said.

Knight also pointed out that Local 006 members employed in Child and Family Services have continuously campaigned against high workloads, which they say are adversely affecting their ability to serve children and families in need of assistance.

“Just last month AUPE members working in Child and Family Services held information pickets in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat to draw public attention to how heavy workloads were negatively affecting the communities they serve,” said Knight.

“Past experience has shown that workload issues in Child and Family services tend to get addressed when they are highlighted in a fatality report. When it comes to public safety Albertans expect the government to be proactive rather than reactive, so we worry that these concerns aren’t going to be dealt with when a hiring freeze is in place,” he said.

30

For more information:

Doug Knight, President, AUPE, 780-930-3301, 780-265-6655 (cellular phone)
Mark Wells, Communications Officer, AUPE, 780-930-3406