Manitoba government proposes 5 days of unpaid leave for thousands of employees to cut costs

The Manitoba government wants about 6,250 civil servants within core government departmentsto take five days of unpaid leave to cut costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter Tuesday morning to employees, the government asked that they take the fivedays off to avert temporary layoffs.

The proposal, along with details onwhich government employeesare eligible, would be cleared up at thebargaining table andstaff meetings,says the letter sent on behalf ofMichael Richards, deputy secretary of cabinet, and Charlene Paquin, civil service commissioner.

The government is asking for support for its "top to bottom" strategy, which would affectdeputy ministers, non-unionized executives,staff whobelong to a union and those who don't.

"In our view, this type of approach offers clear advantages," the internal memo says.

"By enablingto the extent possible in terms of participation our collective ability to much more broadly and equitably shoulder a relatively modest financial impact."

Half of core civil servants affected

Half of the government's nearly 12,000 civil servants within core government would be asked to take unpaid days offunder the plan.

Thememo says the five days off must be taken in the 2020-21 fiscal year.It proposesemployees could mainly reach the target between Christmas and New Year's Day, providing it is "operationally possible and agreeable."

The government previously warned of much deeper labour cuts asthe economy took hits from closednon-essential businesses and inflatedhealth-care costs.

In April, the province asked publicly fundedbodies to draw up workforce-reduction scenarios over four months of 10, 20 and 30 per cent, but settled on a2.2 per cent cut in payroll costs over the entire year.

Within core government, the province decided ona 0.8 per cent reduction in payroll expenses, or $9.5 million, which Tuesday'smemo describes as a "very modest overall reduction."

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont says that's nothing to celebrate.

"There was a point wherethe Premier was promising to put 10, 20 or 30 per cent of excrement in your ice cream and now it's going to be less well, it's still lousy," he says."Let's not pretend that thisis a good thing, it's not."

Lamont is calling on Brian Pallister's government torationalizethe payroll reductions he's demanding by opening up its books. The public doesn't know how much money the province is spending orborrowing duringthe pandemic, he says.

"All we've heard from the Premier is that we have to cut, and he hasn't justified any of it," he said.

The Manitoba Government and General Employees Union has one week to tellgovernmentif it likes the proposal, president Michelle Gawronskysays.

Before then, theunion will ask its membership for advice, and Gawronsky has some burning questions.

"We don't know what departments? Who are they looking at?"she said.

"Ifour members do agree to do this, does that guarantee there won't be any layoffs then within civil service and Manitobans can enjoy these services that our members provide?"

Essential workers exempt

While details are still being ironed out, CentralServicesMinister Reg Helwersaid in an email that several employee groups aren't eligible:essential employees involved in the pandemic response, those working ininstitutional settings, seasonal workers and employees whoalready choseto take at least five days off voluntarily.

He described the government's plan as an "all-hands-on-deck approach," from the deputy minister down.

Pallister is forecasting a $5 billion deficit this fiscal year, stemming from $2 billion in increased expenditures and a$3 billion revenue shortfall.

The province has askedpublic sector bodies to defer non-essential spending. Among them, Manitoba Hydro is temporarily laying off as many as 700 employees.

NDP Leader Wab Kinewsays the government is creating a false choice while telling civil servants they must choose between layoffs or pay cuts.

"The government has tried to box these workers into a corner and say that they they have to accept having less money, which we know is only going to prolong the recession," Kinew said, proposing no reductions to the public service and more financial aid to bolsterthe private sector.

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