NAPE Calls on Government to Expand Review to All Budget Cuts

NAPE Calls on Government to Expand Review to All Budget Cuts 

ST. JOHN’S, NL – The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE) is calling on the Dunderdale government to conduct a full review of all cuts in the recent provincial budget following Minister Darin King’s announcement that cuts to the Department of Justice would be reviewed.

“Only days after asking the public and public employees to ‘wait and see’ what the impact of cuts on the justice system would be, Minister Darin King announced that a panel would be put in place to review the cuts to his department,” said NAPE President Carol Furlong. “While we welcome the review for the justice system, this process calls into question the entire decision making process regarding the cuts and layoffs elsewhere in the public service. We believe that this issue is systemic across all budgetary cuts – that little to no proper consultation and review was done prior to the axe coming down.”

“It is clear that the government was forced to act due to the public outcry on the impact of the cuts and that they are also second guessing themselves,” stated Furlong. “Whatever the motivation, the government should be worried about the negative impact that these cuts are going to have on the people of this province, not only in the justice system, but across all departments and agencies.”

Now that the government is reviewing, with the possibility of reversing, the Justice Department cuts, NAPE is calling on the provincial government to expand the review process to include other departments and groups that were affected by budget cuts and layoffs. NAPE is also calling on the government to suspend all remaining layoffs until these reviews are complete.

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