Paying off the unions to protect the Olympics doesn't make sense.
We have to admit we are little confused by the Liberal government's multi-billion dollar offer to B.C.'s labour movement to settle new contracts.
The government has offered a whopping $6 billion, with $1 billion of that only being on the table if unions settle in the next four months. It is essentially a bonus for signing before any major labour disruptions hit the province.
A major concern, the government has admitted, is the construction for the upcoming Winter Olympics in 2010. Disruptions to this construction schedule could have a very negative impact on these games.
While we understand those pressures, we can't help but question the wisdom of this type of negotiating.
First off all, the money belongs to taxpayers, not the government and we don't remember any election promises of giving what amounts to signing bonuses to unionized workers. Secondly, if B.C. is doing so well financially wouldn't now be good time to pay down our debt, or better yet, truly solve some of the problems that currently exist in our healthcare system?rnWe are not saying that workers don't deserve a pay increase. Of course they do. They deserve a fair wage increase that should be decided through honest and upfront bargaining.
The problem is that just doesn't happen in B.C. and the government knows it, hence this offer. However, governments are supposed to show leadership and in this case that should mean taking a higher road and establishing a new way of bargaining in good faith, rather than throwing money and ignoring the true roots of an old problem.
This may work in the short term, but this province is still no further ahead because the next time these contracts come due there is absolutely no guarantee the economy will still be in as good a shape as it is today.
