BCGEU says budget puts services under pressure

'Line staff are all too aware of wasteful spending, especially the use of outside contractors.' - Darryl Walker.

Victoria (19 Feb. 2009) - The 2009 B.C. budget will put important public services and front line staff under significant pressure next year, says the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE).

"Fewer front line staff will face more work load pressures to provide important services to the public at a time when British Columbians will need to rely on those services even more to weather the economic downturn," says BCGEU president Darryl Walker.

Walker says a review of the budget indicates that funding cuts lie ahead in many areas, including community development, environmental enforcement and stewardship, parks, labour and citizens services, finance, highways maintenance, commercial vehicle inspection and legal aid - "just to name a few."

Other programs like child and family development, women's services, corrections and forest management will receive status quo funding. Discounted for inflation, however, the result will be a net funding reduction.

Walker says it will take time to work through ministry budget allocations in detail to determine the full impact on front line workers. While the overall number of jobs on a full-time equivalent basis remains relatively unchanged, some ministries face sizeable reductions in positions.

Walker says the province had financial room — given its relatively small projected deficit — to invest in more money in B.C.'s social infrastructure.

"I'm discouraged by the Campbell government's failure to make significant new investments in child care and home support to help meet the urgent needs of B.C. families," he adds.

"The tiny new subsidy for child care does nothing to address the child care crisis in B.C. especially high parent fees and long wait lists."

The government should have talked directly with front line staff when reviewing discretionary spending, Walker says.

"Line staff are all too aware of wasteful spending, especially the use of outside contractors, which even the Campbell government admits are too costly to rely on. If Victoria had reached out to us last fall when the expenditure review was conducted, we could have identified even more resources to reallocate, to protect public services." NUPGE