If you can't beat 'em, try to work for them
Everyone has heard the saying that the
only guarantees in life are death and taxes. A
cheeky quip that’s been tacked on to that old
adage is that at least death only happens once.
It’s the time of year when, for most young adults, there’s a nice little bump in disposable income thanks to the annual tax return. A couple years later, however, the majority of your tax dollars are gone for good and a substantial portion is spent on paying the salary of public sector employees.
A recent report by Ted Mallett of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business’ (CFIB) found that government employees earn far more than those in the private sector. Whether it’s delivering packages or driving a bus, those with a paycheque signed by taxpayers take home over $8,000 annually on average more than their counterparts working for independent businesses. The additional income comes on top of the fact that a government can’t go out of business and lays off its staff.
According to the CFIB report, the federal government would save $20 billion per year if public employees were paid at the same rate as those in the private sector.
At the risk of overstating a point, the sheer scope of what could be accomplished with that amount of money can hardly be exaggerated. It’s enough money to fully fund the city of London for almost 20 years. It’s enough to pay for the entire proposed mission to send an expedition to Mars. Three times. And $2 billion left over for a per diem. It’s enough money to warrant spending an entire paragraph trying to illustrate how much money it is.
The CFIB report should result in a concerted effort by all three levels of government to rein in the amount of their annual budget spent on salaries.
Should.
In reality, nothing of the sort will take place. Government unions have a huge advantage when it comes to collective bargaining because their boss is an elected official. Whether it’s Mayor Matt Brown, Premier Kathleen Wynne or Prime Minister Stephen Harper, those with the power to limit salary expenditures are slaves to popular opinion. While it’s difficult to pick any one thing that doomed former Ontario Conservative Party leader Tim Hudak’s bid for the Premier’s office, planning to eliminate 100,000 public sector jobs was undoubtedly a nail in the coffin.
Any politician foolish enough to threaten the size of the public sector workforce or their remuneration comes under heavy fire. The fact that one in five Canadians is considered a public employee contributes heavily to this paradigm. If you aren’t employed by the government, chances are you know someone who is. So, what’s your best bet to beat the system? Make government job boards a bookmark on your web browser.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
It’s the time of year when, for most young adults, there’s a nice little bump in disposable income thanks to the annual tax return. A couple years later, however, the majority of your tax dollars are gone for good and a substantial portion is spent on paying the salary of public sector employees.
A recent report by Ted Mallett of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business’ (CFIB) found that government employees earn far more than those in the private sector. Whether it’s delivering packages or driving a bus, those with a paycheque signed by taxpayers take home over $8,000 annually on average more than their counterparts working for independent businesses. The additional income comes on top of the fact that a government can’t go out of business and lays off its staff.
According to the CFIB report, the federal government would save $20 billion per year if public employees were paid at the same rate as those in the private sector.
At the risk of overstating a point, the sheer scope of what could be accomplished with that amount of money can hardly be exaggerated. It’s enough money to fully fund the city of London for almost 20 years. It’s enough to pay for the entire proposed mission to send an expedition to Mars. Three times. And $2 billion left over for a per diem. It’s enough money to warrant spending an entire paragraph trying to illustrate how much money it is.
The CFIB report should result in a concerted effort by all three levels of government to rein in the amount of their annual budget spent on salaries.
Should.
In reality, nothing of the sort will take place. Government unions have a huge advantage when it comes to collective bargaining because their boss is an elected official. Whether it’s Mayor Matt Brown, Premier Kathleen Wynne or Prime Minister Stephen Harper, those with the power to limit salary expenditures are slaves to popular opinion. While it’s difficult to pick any one thing that doomed former Ontario Conservative Party leader Tim Hudak’s bid for the Premier’s office, planning to eliminate 100,000 public sector jobs was undoubtedly a nail in the coffin.
Any politician foolish enough to threaten the size of the public sector workforce or their remuneration comes under heavy fire. The fact that one in five Canadians is considered a public employee contributes heavily to this paradigm. If you aren’t employed by the government, chances are you know someone who is. So, what’s your best bet to beat the system? Make government job boards a bookmark on your web browser.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
