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Woodstock, Ont. Job cuts announced by Oxford County just before Christmas show how insensitive management is in handling layoff notices, affecting five workers at the Ontario Works division, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Instead of a Christmas bonus, these workers are getting a Christmas layoff, said Linda Thurston-Neeley, national representative for CUPE 1146. These workers, some of whom are single mothers, are utterly heartbroken and terribly upset. They feel Grinched’ by county administrators.
County management blamed the job cuts on the robust County economy, with less demand for services provided by the Ontario Works division. This is an ironic situation where our members are being laid off because they’ve been able to help residents find employment in this booming economy they feel like they are being punished for doing their job well, said Thurston-Neeley.
The County claims to be saving $400,000 with the job cuts, while going way over budget with the new headquarters being built for County administration, said Thurston-Neeley. I question the motivation of this lay off is this being done to offset cost overruns on the new building?
We are meeting with the employer to help our members through this difficult transition, said Thurston-Neeley. We urge residents to contact their county representatives tell them not to steal Christmas from these workers and rescind the layoffs.
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For further information, please contact:
Linda Thurston-Neeley, CUPE National Representative: 519-743-7781
James Chai, CUPE Communications : 416-292-3999
