Alberta's payroll problem leaks into wildland firefighting efforts: AUPE
Wildland firefighters, an essential part of Alberta's wildfire prevention program, say they are on the receiving end of mistreatment from the provincial government, union leaders report.
The Alberta Union of Public Employees (AUPE), which represents the province's wildland firefighters, says payroll issues with the government's 1GX pay system are affecting when their members are being paid.
According to a release from the union, firefighters, particularly those that work weekends and evening shifts, are seeing shortfalls on their paycheques.
"We're hearing from firefighters that they've had to borrow money from friends and family to pay their bills," said Mike Dempsey, AUPE vice-president in a release. "They're incredibly frustrated by how long it is taking to fix these pay problems, and it's affecting morale on the job."
In some cases, firefighters haven't been paid in more than a month.
Dempsey says members have flagged the issues for their managers, but the payroll problems haven't gone away.
"Administrative issues shouldn't be for firefighters to fix. These workers need to concentrate on keeping Albertans safe. That's their job, not fixing the government's avoidable mistakes," he said.
'LAST-MINUTE RECRUITMENT'
The AUPE claims firefighters are also taking issue with the government's delay in sending offers of seasonal employment less than a month before the proposed start date.
"Because of this last-minute recruitment, firefighters say that they've lost many colleagues to jobs elsewhere. Employee turnover, normally around 25 per cent, was around 50 per cent this year," the AUPE wrote.
"The UCP likes to say that they're protecting lives and livelihoods," Dempsey said. "So why can’t they help firefighters — whose entire job is to protect Albertans' lives and livelihoods?
"If that was anything more than an empty slogan, they would have fixed this problem by now."
Service Alberta, when asked about the calims by the AUPE, said it was aware of some issues regarding the payroll for firefighters but the 1GX system "has largely been working well."
"Service Alberta is aware of concerns related to firefighters, including seasonal hires, being paid on time and accurately. We are taking action to resolve these issues," a spokesperson for Service Alberta wrote in an email to CTV News. "Everyone will be paid accurately. Supplementary paycheques are available until all pay issues are fully resolved.
"We thank staff for their patience and understanding as we work to resolve outstanding issues with this new system."
Officials say the previous payroll system was more than 20 years old and needed to be replaced.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks beat Oilers 5-4 in comeback to take Game 1
The Vancouver Canucks won the first game of their NHL playoffs series with the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 on Wednesday night coming back from a three-goal deficit.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.