At 14:31 28/06/2011, Ed wrote:
Some interesting items in our local paper (Ottawa Citizen). One
dealt with a sharp increase in disability claims by federal
government employees in 2010. Nearly half of the claims concerned
mental health and anxiety issues. I've heard from a variety of
sources that the public service is not a good place to work now,
with the threat of job cuts hanging over people's heads. Even if
your job is relatively secure, you're not sure you're going to be
allowed to do it as it should be done. I know of one case in which
a public servant's job is overseeing government expenditures in
another part of the country. It would be logical, even necessary
for him to go and see what his clients are doing on the
ground. But, oh no, travel budgets been cut. Can't do that. In
another case, a friend who is eligible for retirement has just not
bothered going in to work. The atmosphere is just too bad. Who needs it?
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Another item in the paper dealt with anger among postal employees
who had arbitrarily been sent back to work by the government. They
were on strike, but instead of at least giving things a chance to
work themselves out, the government moved in and sent the strikers
back to work. One reason given was that too many small businesses
depended on being able to send invoices out and get checks
back. Well, mmmhmmm, I guess that could be a reason, but the
government should at least have given the collective bargaining
process a chance to try to work things out instead of shutting it
off. It recently did the same thing in the case of an Air Canada
cabin crew strike. Nope! Can't wait for collective
bargaining. Service is too vital!
Yet another item dealt with ex senior Cabinet Minister Stockwell Day
setting up a consulting firm in possible violation of the Federal
Accountability Act which requires that public office holders to wait
five years before participating in lobbying. Day says that his firm
would be advisory. It would not lobby or connect clients to
politicians or bureaucrats. Oh? Then what would it do?
Altogether, it doesn't look like a good time to work for government
or a Canadian crown corporation.. But there are other things going
on that should make you happy. Hey, Will and Kate are coming! So
elate and enjoy, and forget about the silly stuff that you normally
have to worry about, like your job, you health or your pension.
Or you could be philosophical and note that all governmental
institutions throughout history become throttled by their own
bureaucracy sooner or later. However do Western politicians imagine
that tax payers will ever be able to repay their governmental debts?
Keith
Ed
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Keith Hudson, Saltford, England http://allisstatus.wordpress.com/2011/06/
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