A significant majority of British Columbians surveyed recently by Angus Reid said they want to see government wages and benefits brought in line with the private sector.
The survey, commissioned by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), was conducted between March 16 and 18. It surveyed 804 randomly selected British Columbians and has a margin of error of 3.5%.
Four in five respondents said they could no longer afford the wages and benefits paid to government workers, which includes municipal government.
Three-quarters (73%) said they would support the Compensation Equity Act – proposed provincial legislation that would put curbs on public-sector spending for remuneration.
“This is a clear message to politicians – of every stripe and in every jurisdiction – that the time has come to rein in ever-growing pay and benefits for government workers,” said Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the CTF.
“People are tired of digging deeper into their pockets to fund public-sector pay increases and gold-plated benefit plans – especially in an economy that leaves them wondering if their own job will continue. It’s an unfair and unsustainable burden.
“This poll makes it clear: governments have plenty of public support to take tough negotiating stands with public workers and bring their salaries and benefits back in line with those earned in the private sector.”
The CTF points to recent news that TransLink executives will receive bonuses, despite the fact it is in a deficit position, as one example of public-sector pay being out of synch with public sentiment.
The CTF has gathered statistics that show government salaries are higher than the private sector and increasing faster.
