Today Gerry Byrne, member of parliament for Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte (NL) issued the following news release decrying the government’s decision to rollback a previously signed RCMP wage agreement:

Harper government continues policy of unfair public service wage roll backs: MP Byrne 

Ottawa (January 12, 2009) - Gerry Byrne, the Liberal member of Parliament for Humber-St. Barbe- Baie Verte, said today that the federal Conservative government is renewing its threat to impose wage restraint on federal employees. 

In a speech billed as the 2008 fall fiscal update delivered by federal finance minister Jim Flaherty, the Conservative government announced that that all federal public servant wage settlements would be capped and that no further collective bargaining would be allowed for a full three year period. 

This draconian measure drew fire from organized labour, from civil rights advocates and from the country’s opposition parties including the Liberals who threatened to topple the Harper government over the issue. Under such pressure, the Conservatives backed down and announced that the planned wage freeze would be withdrawn. 

Gerry Byrne, said today, however, that evidence is mounting that the Conservative government is still proceeding with its policy only this time using more back door methods. 

“It has been brought to my attention that the Harper Conservatives still intend to trample the rights of federal employees and scuttle the process of establishing legitimate wage agreements where ever they can”, Byrne said. “Just today, I learned through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Membership Representatives in Ottawa that the previously negotiated three year wage settlement agreements reached between the RCMP members and the federal Treasury Board in 2008 are now being unilaterally repealed by the federal government and replaced with pay scales far below the previously agreed to amounts and that these rates are of the government’s sole choosing. This is unacceptable. These agreements were reached in good faith and were to apply to the RCMP members for years 2008 to 2010. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police members are now being penalized and losing pay retroactively and this can not be allowed to stand.” 

Byrne said that this move undermines the process of rebuilding the force and will be counterproductive to law enforcement and the safety of our communities. 

“There is a recognized shortage of RCMP officers throughout Canada and a major recruitment campaign is underway”, Byrne said. “Imposing unilateral, retroactive pay cuts to RCMP members is a terrible way to try to encourage people to consider a career in our nation’s national police force.” 

Byrne said that the decision to repeal wage settlements for the RCMP members was made at a December 11, 2008 meeting of the Treasury Board despite the fact that just days earlier the government announced it would not impose any federal wage freeze requirements. 

Byrne said that because the RCMP do not have a collective agreement and are not represented by a collective bargaining agent, the Conservatives are deliberately trampling their rights first. 

“This is a said day for a national police force and the morale of its membership”,  Byrne said.

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