Harper has doubled number of civil servants earning 100K+
bootlegga @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:55 am
Number of civil servants earning over $100,000 has doubled since Conservatives came to power
$1:
In 2006, when the Conservatives first formed government, there were 19,509 federal public servants earning more than $100,000 a year. In 2010, that number spiked to 42,050.
The new data obtained by the Ottawa Citizen shows that the 'fiscally prudent' Harper Conservatives have actually governed over an unprecedented growth in civil servant salaries.
The Treasury Board has defended the increase as an anomaly, stating the number of employees earning more than $100,000 was far higher in 2010 because the government made a number of retroactive payments to unionized workers for collective bargaining.
But according to the Citizen, the documents show none of the previous years going back to 2004, when similar collective agreements were negotiated, saw such a large jump in the number of high-earners.
Gregory Thomas, Federal and Ontario Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, says he believes the increase has to do with the government making payouts to some senior staff as part of a long-overdue reform — putting an end to severance payments that were made even when people quit their jobs voluntarily.
Nevertheless, he suggests what's happening in the civil service isn't happening elsewhere.
"Clearly, taxpayers aren't seeing their pay packets surging over the six-figure mark. That's not the reality on the ground," he told Yahoo! Canada News.
"The committee advising the government on retention and compensation is probably saying the same thing: these days, taxpayers don't need to be sweeten the pot to attract top talent. The security of a federal job, with the existing perks and pensions, is more than enough."
The new data obtained by the Ottawa Citizen shows that the 'fiscally prudent' Harper Conservatives have actually governed over an unprecedented growth in civil servant salaries.
The Treasury Board has defended the increase as an anomaly, stating the number of employees earning more than $100,000 was far higher in 2010 because the government made a number of retroactive payments to unionized workers for collective bargaining.
But according to the Citizen, the documents show none of the previous years going back to 2004, when similar collective agreements were negotiated, saw such a large jump in the number of high-earners.
Gregory Thomas, Federal and Ontario Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, says he believes the increase has to do with the government making payouts to some senior staff as part of a long-overdue reform — putting an end to severance payments that were made even when people quit their jobs voluntarily.
Nevertheless, he suggests what's happening in the civil service isn't happening elsewhere.
"Clearly, taxpayers aren't seeing their pay packets surging over the six-figure mark. That's not the reality on the ground," he told Yahoo! Canada News.
"The committee advising the government on retention and compensation is probably saying the same thing: these days, taxpayers don't need to be sweeten the pot to attract top talent. The security of a federal job, with the existing perks and pensions, is more than enough."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-p ... 16478.html
So much for fiscal Conservatives...
andyt @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:59 am
Yep. Blow the surplus, raise wages for swivel servants. What's next?
Regina @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 10:00 am
That's nothing compared to the plethora of police and teachers who will be on the sunshine list this year.
andyt @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 10:01 am
Regina Regina:
That's nothing compared to the plethora of police and teachers who will be on the sunshine list this year.
Harper is involved here how?
Regina @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 10:03 am
He's not but it's happening provincially as well.
jeff744 @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:49 pm
Regina Regina:
That's nothing compared to the plethora of police and teachers who will be on the sunshine list this year.
Teachers are actually getting a well deserved salary boost? I know a few that worked in the vicinity of 60-70 hours a week averaged off, sometimes putting in as much as an additional 400 hours into one after school activity.
I don't see why they make as little as they do while 9-5 pencil pushers manage to break six digits for just signing papers.
ShepherdsDog @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:02 pm
make the parents responsible for schooling and caring for their kids during the day for more than a summer vacation...better yet, make them have to deal with 20 kids.
What I'd like to see is teachers getting paid more, but make it harder to become a teacher. There are too many going into the profession now, that can't spell or are stumped by simple math....mainly because those with these skill don't want to put up with the politics associated with teaching nowadays...little turds with asshole parents, in a system prone to fads implemented by numbnuts who never spend anytime in a classroom.
BartSimpson @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:49 pm
So some of you folks are upset that Harper is friendlier to public employee union members than his predecessors were?
Forgive me if I'm savoring the fact that you folks are criticizing Harper for doing what you usually demand from a Liberal. 
Hope you don't mind when this one gets shoved down your throat when a Liberal eventually does the same thing.
RUEZ @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:19 pm
This makes a great headline for liberals. I'd like to see how many of these people were making just under 100k a few years ago. Guess what? People get raises, their salaries go up. This will really blow your mind Boot, there was a time when no civil servant made over 100k.
Gunnair @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:45 pm
RUEZ RUEZ:
This makes a great headline for liberals. I'd like to see how many of these people were making just under 100k a few years ago. Guess what? People get raises, their salaries go up. This will really blow your mind Boot, there was a time when no civil servant made over 100k.
Agreed, very good headline.
I'd actually like to see how many of those jobs got the personal endorsement from the PM that the headline suggests.
commanderkai @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:15 pm
RUEZ RUEZ:
This makes a great headline for liberals. I'd like to see how many of these people were making just under 100k a few years ago. Guess what? People get raises, their salaries go up. This will really blow your mind Boot, there was a time when no civil servant made over 100k.
I'm guessing the alternative is to lose anybody with experience, education, and skills to corporations and private business once they reach some limit in their salary. They should be grateful to be working for Canadian government, or something.
eureka @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 8:39 pm
Agreed. Ruez!
commanderkai @ Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:21 pm
eureka eureka:
Agreed. Ruez!
*SPEWS OUT COFFEE* Holy shit. This is unexpected.
Curtman @ Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:01 am
jeff744 jeff744:
Regina Regina:
That's nothing compared to the plethora of police and teachers who will be on the sunshine list this year.
Teachers are actually getting a well deserved salary boost? I know a few that worked in the vicinity of 60-70 hours a week averaged off, sometimes putting in as much as an additional 400 hours into one after school activity.
I don't see why they make as little as they do while 9-5 pencil pushers manage to break six digits for just signing papers.
Two months off in summer, two weeks off at Christmas, and a week off at Easter.
Regina @ Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:24 am
jeff744 jeff744:
Regina Regina:
That's nothing compared to the plethora of police and teachers who will be on the sunshine list this year.
Teachers are actually getting a well deserved salary boost? I know a few that worked in the vicinity of 60-70 hours a week averaged off, sometimes putting in as much as an additional 400 hours into one after school activity.
I don't see why they make as little as they do while 9-5 pencil pushers manage to break six digits for just signing papers.
Seriously??