The Premier of New Brunswick wants a one-year wage freeze and three years with only a 1% annual increase for public servants.
Wages and salaries should be determined through a process of good-faith bargaining. Imposing unilateral salary rates through the legislature is a violation of our members’ Charter rights. We will work with all other bargaining agents to push back against any such attempt.
Public service workers have worked hard to see the province through this pandemic. They deserve respect and a fair deal, not a unilateral imposition of new rates of pay by the Premier.
Premier Higgs has said these cuts are in preparation for cuts in funding from the federal government however federal funding remains stable at this time. Federal leaders have repeatedly stated publicly that austerity is not the solution to COVID-19 related economic downturns.
The provincial opposition members have suggested that Premier Higgs is taking this opportunity to forward his own agenda and implement unnecessary cuts to public service wages.
A wage freeze and years with only a 1% wage increase mean that our members will be earning less over time as their incomes will not even keep up with the cost of living.
This one-year salary freeze has already been implemented for non-unionized public servants in New Brunswick.
We are working with all other bargaining agents to push back against this wage freeze.