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Sheriffs laid off in St. John's, remaining already asked to work overtime

“This is astounding,” stated Furlong. “The layoffs aren’t even fully in effect yet and already the system can’t handle the mess created by government’s layoff fiasco.”

St. John's (08 April 2013) – Only a few short days after layoff notices were issued, court workers are already being asked to work overtime to cover shortfalls.

According to Carol Furlong, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE), an email was sent to Sheriffs asking for volunteers to work weekend overtime.

“This is astounding,” stated Furlong. “The layoffs aren’t even fully in effect yet and already the system can’t handle the mess created by government’s layoff fiasco.”

Twenty of the 40 active sheriffs in St. John’s have received notice of layoff, with fourteen layoffs being effective by April 5, and the remaining six slated for layoff by April 26.

Furlong continued, “This is a clear indication that government’s approach to these layoffs is completely irrational and dysfunctional. Employees are sitting at home with no work while others are being called in at overtime rates. This goes beyond ludicrous.”

“We expect to see more and more examples of similar incompetence as the layoffs take effect,” concluded Furlong.

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