“Put aside the pension issue” to end dispute, says Mitton
Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton says Premier Blaine Higgs should set aside the issue of pensions in order to get CUPE workers back on the job. “The premier needs to go back to the negotiating table,” says Mitton. “There are people across the province who are experiencing everything from an inconvenience to a hardship, because of the worker action that he has forced.”
Speaking on behalf of the Green caucus, Mitton says, “we’re calling on the Premier to go back to the negotiating table, and to put aside the pension issue for a later date.”
Higgs has said that “fixing pensions is a requirement,” to resolving the current dispute.
The government has proposed to transform pensions for two CUPE locals to shared risk style pensions, where the costs and benefits can fluctuate according to how the plan performs investment-wise. The shared risk model would relieve the government of having to make up shortfalls in the pension plans. The plan would also mean that cost of living increases in benefits would be contingent on the performance of the pension fund.
In addition to converting pensions for two locals, Higgs has offered to add educational assistants to the plan.
Higgs has long been a fan of the shared risk model, and transformed some public pensions back in 2013, when he was finance minister in David Alward’s government. The changes were supported by some unions at the time, but also met with considerable opposition from pensioners who saw their benefits at risk of decreasing.… Continue