TheReview Wednesday, January 30,1991 — A7 Attack on public servants VICTORIA— What did I tell you, public sector restraint is supposed to get the Socreds re-elected. Details of the plan were expected to be announced by Premier Vander Zalm in his January 29 television address. When in doubt, attack the public service. Heck, we all know that “the public is lucky to get three days of work a week out of these parasites.”” The premier said so when he was a mere cabinet minister. I forget whether he said it before or after he talked of equipping welfare recipients with shov- els to earn an honest living for a change. I know it was after he sang a song about the Quebec frogs at a party convention. Warnings that public sector wage controls may be introduced came during the last throne speech nearly a year ago. I suspected at the time that the public service-bashing initiative would be part of an election campaign, and there can be no doubt about that now. Vander Zalm has to call an election within the next nine months. If the government can go without a scandal for a couple more months, he'll probably go in spring. But he does need a platform. Public sector wage restraint is to be part of that platform. The premier is betting that the public hates public servants as much as he does. And if you don’t believe that he hates public servants, take another look at the quote above. He meant it then and he means it now. The last time restraint was used was in 1982, at the beginning of the recession. At that time, Bill Bennett introduced the Compensation Stabiliza- tion Program, which became better known as the restraint program or simply restraint. That program regulated the wages of more than 200,000 public employees, including provincial government and Crown corporations employees, as well as teachers and hospital workers. At the time, wage increases were high, as high as 14 per cent. By 1987, average wage hikes were down to 2.6 per cent. The program had clearly achieved its objective, even though it came under a lot of fire, not so much because of its substance but because of the tuthless way it was implemented. At the start of the restraint program, for instance, an estimated 10,000 public servants, 25 per cent of the total public service, were laid off. And now, Vander Zalm wants to do it all over again, not because it’s necessary. It isn’t. Vander Zalm wants to do a rerun of Bennet’s restraint program because he hopes it will win him the election. It won’t work. It didn’t work for Bennett either. Sure, the program was effective, but he had to step down eventually because he knew he would lose the election. More than three years after he unleashed the restraint program, the dust had still not settled. The polls told Bennett that the Socreds couldn’t win an election with him as leader? his advisers told him that it would be best if he quit; his instinct told him to follow their advice. How Vander Zalm can hope to increase his popularity quotient by challenging the public service, when Bennett lost his shirt doing it, is beyond me. The public service is not the easy target it used to be. The public service may have been bloated 10 years ago, but it’s a fairly lean and efficient body today. But more important, working for the public service no longer confers tenure and job security. Public servants can be fired as easily, these days, as any other worker. And more often than not, they earn less than their counterparts in the private sector, the premier’s assertion to the contrary notwithstanding. But for better or worse, we’ll get public sector wage restraint. Morale in the public service will again suffer. Vander Zalm will have a ball, or believe he does, and when it’s all over, he’ll be left in the dust. Mark my word. My advice to public servants is: don’t let Vander Zalm misuse you for his own political purposes. Job security for public servants may not be what it used to be, but I'd wager a Loony or two that it’s still better than the premier’s. If Vander Zalm comes on like gang-busters, trying to beat a second term out of public servants, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a confron- tation. Instead, I would put my money on a guess that after the election, Vander Zalm won’t be around to implement his program. Peninsula Video Productions Complete S-VHS and VHS Production Facilities Corporate, Educational and Personal Projects [jaa ee Custom Transfers - Movies, Slides and Tapes ae =) WEDDINGS AND SEMINARS a specialty at Audio Dubbing and Editing Suite for rent Uo Some diabetics don’t know ABOUT ONE IN 20 Canadians have diabetes, totalling over 1 million people, yet over half of those affected don’t even know they have dia- betes, a Saanich Peninsula Hospital press release said. This week is Diabetes Awareness Week and the hospital is helping the public find out the facts about diabetes, the range of services available, blood sugar testing, nutrition, exercise and how to live a normal life with diabetes. Staff were on hand yesterday and today from 11 a.m. until 2 p-m. to give information through displays, bro- chures, videos and demonstrations. To find out more about diabetes, call the Saanich Peninsula Hospital. kK TELEPHONE BOOKS FOR recycling are being collected by the First North Saanich Brownies until February 28. Collection boxes have been placed at the Deep Cove Elementary School, Panorama Leisure Centre and the Deep Cove Store. - — _- es ere * KX BALL AND BANQUET will be the official installation of the Sidney Shrine Club’s Noble Jack Robbins as president, together with his slate of officers for 1991, Saturday at Colombo’s Restaurant in Saanichton. 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