Saskatchewan’s Finance Minister Kevin Doherty says the province is considering implementing unpaid days off for government workers as an option to help cap the provincial deficit.
Doherty held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, where he said the consideration was just one of the options the province had put before unions to reduce compensation costs.
“We want to ensure that we are fair to our public servants, at the same time making sure we are still delivering the services that the people of this province want and expect and deserve,” Doherty told reporters.
The unpaid days could impact all government workers, including Crown corporation employees.
Doherty said unpaid days off would be a more palatable option for many employees than losing their jobs.
The government believes an $11 million a day would be saved for each unpaid day off.
The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour has spoken out against the proposal, saying that one unpaid day off per month would amount to a five per cent wage rollback for the average government employee.
