Ontario?s public sector managers can get performance pay despite wage freeze
Opposition critic Peter Shurman said the whole wage-freeze issue was a diversionary tactic by a deficit-plagued government.
Only a relatively small number of workers around the legislature, including politicians and their staff, would actually see their pay frozen, Shurman said.
?At the end of the day, this government has neglected priorities in favour of running something up the flag pole for people to salute,? he said.
?That?s what the freeze is, because it?s not a freeze at all.?
Ontario?s public sector managers can get performance pay despite wage freeze
TORONTO ? Opposition leaders attacked the Liberal government?s promised wage freeze for about 350,000 non-unionized workers in Ontario?s public sector as ?phoney? Tuesday, because some senior managers will actually be taking home more money next year.
The government used last week?s budget to announce it was immediately freezing salaries for non-unionized civil servants and others paid by provincial taxpayers, including executives and managers at hospitals, universities and colleges.
However, it turns out some of those managers will still be eligible for higher performance pay as long as they weren?t already receiving the maximum.
?It?s complicated,? Premier Dalton McGuinty told reporters as he defended the loophole in the wage freeze.
?Just because it?s complicated for us to explain doesn?t relieve us of the obligation to do what we know is fair in the circumstances.?
The previous Conservative government restructured salaries for some government managers to make a portion of their pay related to performance.
Scrapping the performance bonus would amount to a pay cut, McGuinty said.
The opposition parties weren?t buying his explanation.
?We find out now after three or four days that Dalton McGuinty had claimed to be bringing forward a pay freeze that it?s actually a phoney pay freeze,? said Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak.
?When you look at the actual bill, you could drive a Mack truck through those loopholes.?
New Democrats said the Liberals were protecting senior managers while forcing lower-paid middle managers and other non-unionized workers to take a real pay freeze.
?It?s obvious that the Liberals are prepared to take care of their friends, as they always are,? said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.
?It?s interesting, though, because I don?t think the premier?s going to be able to achieve his zero per cent (salary growth) no matter which way you look at it.?
The government also promised last week to freeze compensation packages for another 750,000 unionized public sector workers for two years after their current contracts expire.
The aim of the freezes is to save $750 million to help trim the record $21.3-billion deficit.
McGuinty said the overall pool of money for performance pay will be frozen, which means the managers will be competing among themselves for the bonus money.
?We decided in the end the best thing for us to do is freeze the compensation structure,? he explained.
?For people that are entitled to performance pay, they will continue to be entitled to performance pay, but the maximum amount available for the performance pay is now frozen.?
Opposition critic Peter Shurman said the whole wage-freeze issue was a diversionary tactic by a deficit-plagued government.
Only a relatively small number of workers around the legislature, including politicians and their staff, would actually see their pay frozen, Shurman said.
?At the end of the day, this government has neglected priorities in favour of running something up the flag pole for people to salute,? he said.
?That?s what the freeze is, because it?s not a freeze at all.?
The Canadian Press