Last
week, the National Post published a column by Paul Moist, one of the
most effective and responsible union leaders in Canada. Moist is the
president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and is very
cognizant of the real need of the working class. But, at the same
time, he's not a typical leftist radical ideologue like some of his
local representatives in Ontario and he's well aware of the fiscal
realities.
In
the National Post column, he has made a lot of good points that the
government should take into consideration. He is right when he says
that"...we require new public funding in order to remain
competitive. The focus of this budget, above all else, should be on
public investments that stimulate the economy, support the
vulnerable through a slow recovery and ensure a sustainable future
for the next generation."
He
is also right when he writes that "our fiscal deficit—compared
with those of other countries—is
manageable. Canada's job shortage, and our physical and social
infrastructure deficit, is not."
There
are, however, some points that must be clarified.
A
recession has a huge impact on the job market, but that impact will
not affect one group of workers, those in the public sector. Their
jobs are protected as well as their salaries. Don't believe that any
one in the public sector has suffered any pain because of the
present economic problems. The brunt of the recession has been paid
almost entirely by workers in the private sector, even those
protected by the once almighty Canadian Auto Workers Union. I'd
wager a guess that some teachers can't even spell the word
'recession.' Public servants still have their jobs intact and
salaries untarnished.
I'm
not saying they're not doing their job. I'm only saying that they
still have their jobs and their salaries while their fellow
Canadians are coping with this brutal economic slump.
Outside
the public sector, there are people without job protection or no job
at all. They don't have benefits, good holiday packages, sick days,
or other perks taken for granted in the public sector.
If
we want to emerge stronger from this economic crisis, we have to
correct this serious imbalance we have created in our job market.
Right
now the job market is split in three sectors: the public servants,
the private sector but unionized, and (the largest group)
non-unionized workers in the private sector. Sacrifices have been
made mainly by the people in this last group and by those unionized
in the private sector. The only ones who came out intact from this
economic earthquake are the public servants.
I
remember when I left Italy almost 35 years ago that the aspiration
for all young people was to find "il posto," a job with the
government. Public servants carried a certain social status because
they had good salaries, good benefits, and job security.
But
when I arrived in Canada, I realized that it was the other way
around and those working in the public sector were almost considered
a failure.
After
35 years, unfortunately, I've noticed that in Canada we've started a
rush towards public sector jobs. This is not a good sign because it
means that people are not looking for a place to better exploit
their talents and ambitions; it means they're running for cover. The
private sector, if not properly managed, will expose workers to the
exploitation of greedy entrepreneurs, but the private sector also
rewards creative and hardworking people. This is contrary to the
public sector where good or bad people are treated the same and can
enjoy the same degree of protection. This is good because people can
have job security, but it is bad because it kills creativity and
ambitions when good people realize that working harder and more
diligently don't make any difference.
I
know that we still need public investments to promote our economy.
But we still need a new deal to protect all Canadian workers by
eliminating second-class citizens. The private sector has already
paid dearly for this recession. Now we need to know that the public
servants want to chip in. I don't know how because I'm not a
negotiator. But I can say that I'm glad that the head of CUPE is
Paul Moist, a very capable leader who understands the aspirations of
the workers belonging to his organization, but is also aware of the
problems of all other workers and the needs of the
country.
