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Pension reform process unfair and fundamentally flawed, says HSAA

Imposed pension changes miss the mark, says HSAA/NUPGE.

Edmonton (26 Feb. 2014) — The public-sector pension plan changes proposed by the Alberta government are unfair, ill informed and dictatorial, says Elisabeth Ballermann, President of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE), which represents 25,000 health-care professionals.

Alberta government refuses to meet with affected workers to discuss changes to pension plans

"It's unfair because it is gambling with the future of hundreds of thousands of working Albertans while ignoring their views. The unions representing front-line workers have made frequent requests to meet and negotiate changes, but all requests have been met with a deafening silence," she says.

"It's unfair because it means young workers today and the workers of tomorrow are being treated differently and will have to work longer for less return in their retirement."

"It's also unfair because, while appearing to address the concerns of some members of plans whose jobs are physically demanding, it ignores the fact that there are many members who lift patients throughout their work day and often without any assistance. These include many HSAA/NUPGE professionals who work in hospitals and in the community," says Ballermann.

Plan changes ignore expert advice on how to improve pensions

"Finally, the plan is ill informed. Finance Minister Doug Horner has ignored the views of the pension boards which were already working to improve the plans, it has ignored the pleas from the Auditor-General for real consultation with stakeholders, it ignored the views of independent actuaries who said the plans were sustainable without drastic changes, it has ignored the concerns of employers over the ability to hire and retain employees, and it refused to consult with the real experts, the front-line workers," she says.

"In his own statement, the minister says that 'important decisions about the plan's design and finances will be made by those bearing the costs and risks' - and yet he denies workers who bear the cost of the plan any input into the proposed changes he has just announced.

"This is exactly the kind of thinking that got the government into so much trouble with a judge over Bill 46, the Public Salary Restraint Act. This government refuses to listen to expert advice, it ignores the views and rights of workers and blindly bulldozes through its ideological vision," she says.

"The government has revealed no evidence to justify these proposed changes or show whether they will work. It simply expects us to trust them. Unfortunately, their terrible track record has left little room for trust."

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE