Union on Tax Shift: “We’re Being Left in the Dark”

On Tuesday afternoon, union leaders sat down with staff members to talk about a major shake-up, the transition to a semi-autonomous revenue authority. But not everyone’s feeling heard. The Public Service Union says this change is being rolled out without proper consultation. President Dean Flowers is holding no punches; he says even top-level staff are being left in the dark. For the union, it’s more about respect, transparency, and making sure workers aren’t sidelined in the process, than it is about policy.

 

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union

“After hearing back from the employees today, we have been given a mandate to prepare a position paper for Cabinet and Cabinet needs to know, employees have never been consulted. What is even more shameful is when we met with the ministry of finance and public service, we were told by the director who should be responsible for employee welfare, he was asked what does the ministry of public service who is responsible for employee welfare know about SARA, and his response, and the minutes will show, ask Ms. Longsworth to send you those minutes which she refuse to send to me and I challenged her even before the meeting started, I want somebody to take those minutes, because certain discussions will be had and certain requests will be made and I don’t want you to get it twisted, but let me finish with what the director said, to be honest I cannot comment on this because the only time I heard about SARA is last week when I met in a cost saving meeting. Now how can the ministry of public service responsible for public officers’ welfare not even be aware about this unjust, unfair proposal that ius being put on two hundred and thirty-six public officers.”