What makes public servants believe they are under paid? In comparison to the majority of citizens working in private industry or self-employed, civil servants are very well paid indeed.
In addition to their pay cheques they are entitled to receive a generous pension that goes up in relation to the annual inflation rate. Many in private industry would love to have a benefit like that. Public servants also receive paid days off such as Easter Monday that most in private industry do not receive. Among other benefits, those working for the Government also receive several days of paid bereavement leave for the loss of a family member. To top it off, those working for the Government have job security in the sense that their employer will never face bankruptcy and leave them without a job. All of the above should be factored in when determining what is a fair wage.
The current strike is not what the majority of Federal Public Servants wanted. Only about 37% of the members even bothered to vote which leads to the very real possibility that the other 63% were satisfied with the Government’s offer of 9%, without the requirement to go out on strike. Of the 37% who did vote, only about 80% voted in favour of striking. The Public Service Alliance of Canada bosses claim this as an overwhelming majority but in reality, that is just 80% of the 37% who actually voted. In other words that amounts only 30% of the total membership but a minority group of greed bags has been able to shut down a considerable portion of Government operations, to the inconvenience of millions of Canadians.
I have been employed in both private industry and the Government of Canada. With respect to the familiar 80% / 20% rule I don’t think many would argue with my observation that the bottom performing 80% of government employees earn more than the bottom performing 80% of those employed in private industry. Why? Possibly because government employees have the backing of a labour union and individuals are difficult to get rid of if they don’t perform up to standard. Conversely, the top 20% in private industry earn more than the top 20% in government service because in industry they must continuously perform above standard in order to maintain their status and they are rewarded based on their performance and profitability to their employer. In Government, once the maximum salary level has been achieved, there is only the satisfaction of a job well done. The exceptions are those on a power trip who like to push their weight around and there is no shortage of them.
I am not against labour unions. They perform a useful purpose when called upon to defend their members against unfair or unscrupulous bosses or perceived unfairness in the employment regulations. What I object to is their practice of negotiating pay levels for their members. Everyone should be allowed to negotiate with their employer, their salary based on their individual work performance rather than being lumped together in a group with varying levels of skills and abilities as is now done.
Fred Barrett Woodward
Editor