April 19, 2005
Pondering politics!
The teachers are on the verge of securing a 2-2-2 percent wage increase over the next three years. The government’s policy of 0-1-1 percent increases over three years for public servants is apparently not on anymore. The government and the Minister of Learning, Andrew Thomson will have a difficult time explaining how all this will work as it respects other members of the public service.
More interesting is to hear the SaskParty making the case for the unions and the civil servants they represent. It would seem the government has bent to pressure from the opposition SaskParty and the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation. This situation has both the government and the official opposition in a bind. It seems at this time that the public feels the teachers are not deserving of a wage settlement in excess of the government’s 0-1-1 percent guidelines. At the very least the general public feels that everyone in the province, including the public service as represented by their respective unions, are deserving of an increase in their wages.
The government is flush in new revenue from oil and gas revenues and other sources. The public are eager to realize some direct benefit in their pocket by way of tax cuts, relief from property taxes, increased personal income, agriculture support and efficient funding for needed government programs.
When you boil all this down it seems both the NDP government and the official opposition SaskParty are at this time out of step with the general public. Who doesn’t deserve a 6% increase over the next three years? Which of these two political parties can we count on to get us all a 6% increase in our income over the next three years? Whoever it is will likely form the next government of Saskatchewan.
Pondering,
Larry Birkbeck
www.sasktelwebsite.net/lbbeck/
http://lbirkbeck.blogspot.com
