To the editor:
When I first heard that Premier’s Office staff were getting pay increases when unionized government employees were being asked to accept net-zero, I thought “this can’t be right.” After checking for the truth behind the headline, I was pleased to discover it wasn’t. Here are the details I found:
The salary grid for the respective premier’s and ministers’ office staff has been frozen for six years.
Pay increases may only fall within this structure, only happen after a review and are not automatic.
There might be some staff who reached the top salary years ago, and have not received a wage increase over this time.
This step-based system is analogous to that of our public sector workers, who also receive increases when they reach a higher rung. Both circumstances are in line with the net-zero mandate.
I encourage you to check the Freedom of Information document released that lists the recent changes in pay.
While it would not be appropriate or fair to discuss individual cases here, nobody has received an increase outside the salary grid for their particular position, or without being promoted to a more senior position.
No one was more troubled by the allegations that political staff were somehow exempt from the net-zero mandate than I was, so I’m glad to report the truth behind the headline.
Norm Letnick,
MLA, Kelowna-Lake Country
