Mounties fuming over rollbacks to wage-hike pact
Agreed-upon raise cut in half due to ‘difficult financial situations’

JOSH WINGROVE 
GLOBE AND MAIL

The Harper government is under fire from its national police force this month after it reneged at the 11th hour on an agreed RCMP wage increase due to the slowing economy. The national Treasury Board established a package last June that included a 3.5-per-cent increase in 2009. But on Dec. 11, the figure was unilaterally dropped to 1.5 per cent, cutting in half the raise RCMP officers were expecting to see three weeks later. 

“These [rollbacks] reflect the difficult financial situations facing the country,” Treasury Board spokesman Robert Makichuk said. 

 But RCMP members, who aren’t permitted to unionize, aren’t going down without a fight. Some have set up a website, CallForBackup.ca, to push for the government to reverse its decision. More than 9,000 people have signed a petition at the site. 

“What we’re looking for is for the government to honour our agreement as it was signed off,” said Staff Sergeant Bob Meredith, one of two executives for the 40 RCMP staff relations representatives who run the protest website. “[RCMP are] . . . very upset, very frustrated by the whole thing.” 

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