Canada Sends Layoff Notices to 1,000’s of Workers

It looks like more job losses are coming to the civil servants of Canada and things are getting grim in the job cuts sector. In what is a second swing at job cuts the nation has sent layoff notices to about 5,500 workers, according to information released by The Public Service Alliance of Canada.  The cuts will impact many areas of the government, as most departments have been asked to make serious staffing cuts by the top-level officials.

These cuts are slated to save the Canadian government about $5.2 billion over the next three years, but in order to do that the job cuts will have to be drastic. Some of the cuts that are coming for the current wave include 1,137 workers for the Canadian Border Services Agency, 689 at Agriculture Canada and  2,224  workers for the city of Ottawa

Of course some agencies are being hit harder then others. For those of you who missed out on our look at job cuts at  here is an excerpt that will get you up to speed on how these cuts are going to impact government operations:

“It looks like things are getting even worse in Canada as the calls to tighten their belts and keep a reign on government spending have led to more job cuts. This time it is the federal food safety inspectors division that will be losing workers. About 100 inspectors from the federal food safety inspectors are going to be cut out over the next three years as part of a budget slashing measure.

Adding to cuts to food safety the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is expected to layoff another 200 workers in the same time period. All in all these cuts are expected to save about $56 million over the next three years. Those cuts are part of a serious movement, within the conservative part of the Canadian budget to cut back on government spending significantly. Other areas are also experiencing significant cuts. ”

These kinds of cuts are leaving many Canadian civil servants wondering how many jobs will be cut will occur when all is said and done. For now the current estimate is that about 19,200 jobs, though about 7,000 of those jobs are expected to be cut from attrition and voluntary layoffs for older workers.

Not that the Canadian government has the best luck with voluntary layoff programs in the past. For those of you who missed out on our earlier coverage of a voluntary layoff program in the city of Toronto that had less than stellar results:

“Ah, the voluntary layoff program, it is an employers last ditch chance to make needed cuts to their staff without having to look like the bad guy. As the economic downturn continues to go on with little to no signs of improvement  more companies and governments are giving them a shot, with mixed results. In some cases older employees may take the buyout to extend retirement, but when you have a younger workforce you will often find them less willing to go quietly into the night.

The City of Toronto tried a voluntary layoff plan this year, which recently ended. The city was hoping that this program would help them to shed 700 positions. If that sounds more than a little pie in the sky to you then you are not alone. The harsh light of reality has come shining in on that number. As the program came to a close the city found that it had not the desired 700 workers lining up to be laid off but instead only 230 employees who were willing to give up their civil service jobs and take part in voluntary layoff program.

City Manager Joe Pennachetti, the brains behind the 2012 budget for the city, had hoped to find that the voluntary layoff plan gave the city some substantial savings, but apparently he failed to take a few things into consideration. One of those things was the fact that a fair number of positions could not be eliminated because of legal obligations to provide certain services to the citizens of the city.”