By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

positions impacted at red deer's michener centre

AUPE calls pandemic job cuts an ‘act of cruelty’

Jan 16, 2021 | 11:11 AM

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is lambasting the provincial government for using the pandemic as a shield to lay off workers.

According to the AUPE, four facilities where its employees work will be impacted by the government’s plan to outsource maintenance positions, including Michener Centre South in Red Deer. A union spokesperson says the Public Service Commission notified the AUPE in a letter, pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement.

At Michener, up to four jobs will be affected. Other locations include the Spy Hill complex of corrections facilities in Calgary, Edmonton’s law courts, and the federal building at the Legislature, all for a possible 38 jobs on the line.

“Albertans have made it clear that the UCP government should be focusing on two things right now, fighting the pandemic and creating jobs,” says Kevin Barry, vice-president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), which represents more than 90,000 workers. “Instead, what we see are endless attacks on workers and vital services.”

The AUPE characterizes the move as a “massive sweep of privatization,” with potentially thousands of jobs at risk across sectors.

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It says such privatization will lead to higher, not lower costs, and less transparency and accountability when it comes to how taxpayer money is spent.

“Alberta’s government is reviewing the service delivery model for several buildings,” confirms Jerrica Goodwin, press secretary for the Treasury Board and Finance. “We are respecting the process and providing notice to AUPE per the Master Agreement. It’s important to note that no decisions have been made with respect to how the service delivery model might change for these buildings.”

Goodwin says the government will use the feedback it receives from the union to, “carefully and thoughtfully assess the matter.”

In 11 months, the union notes, the government has announced 11,000 front-line health-care jobs will be cut and outsourced. There are also plans, it describes, to sell off continuing care operations, and maintenance jobs are being outsourced or cut at the Royal Museum of Alberta.

Reductions at the museum take effect April 1, 2021, with Goodwin saying these were all tough decisions.

“We have taken a thoughtful approach to address our fiscal challenges and spend taxpayers’ money responsibly,” she says. “While these changes reflect our fiscal reality, they do not take away from the hard work and contributions of these museum caretakers.”

With respect to health care changes, she says these are based off recommendations from an AHS review completed by Ernst and Young.

“The workforce reductions are mostly in reference to contracting out of services, not loss of employment. The majority of these changes have not been implemented, as government is solely focused on the pandemic response ensuring no job losses for nurses or for other frontline clinical staff,” Goodwin explains. “Plans to contract out laundry services announced in 2019 are underway and expected to begin this spring. The review also recommended selling Carewest (Calgary) and Capitalcare (Emonton). There has been no decision made on this recommendation at this time.”

The union says it appears the government is determined to hand over work, “to its friends and donors in the corporate world who will make a profit by slashing wages and cutting services.”

“This government has put a for-sale sign on everything in this province and they hope Albertans won’t notice because they are distracted by the pandemic.”

Barry adds that the most important lesson during a health crisis is that front-line workers matter, and that they are risking their lives every day.

He calls the lay-offs an act of cruelty.