Some provincial social service agencies are feeling a cash crunch as they wait for bridge funding from the provincial government to finance staff wage increases.
The wage increases of 1.5 per cent were negotiated under the co-operative gains mandate last year, meaning the money for higher salaries had to come from cost savings found elsewhere in the organization. However some of the cost savings won't be realized immediately and the groups were counting on the province to provide bridge financing to pay for the wage increases, which came into effect on April 1.
According to the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU), some of those wage increases for family services workers have yet to be paid because the Ministry of Children and Family Development hasn't provided the temporary funding.
"What you have is disgruntled employees who were expecting a little bit of wage bump to keep up with the cost of living, but you have disgruntled employers as well who are not able to provide the wage bump that a lot of people think that their workers deserve because they're not being properly funded," union communications officer Oliver Rohlfs said.
Prima Enterprises, which operates a youth assessment facility in Prince George, is one of the nine organizations waiting on funds. Some John Howard Society programs province-wide are also on the hook for wage increases without the appropriate funding.
So far the Ministry of Social Development is providing bridge funding to agencies that fall under its jurisdiction.
Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux said her department is in the process of working with affected agencies to reach a solution.
"Make no mistake - employees in the sector deserve the wage increases the new collective agreement provides," Cadieux wrote in an email. "That's why, where agencies do not have the immediate capacity to fund negotiated wage increases, the Ministry of Children and Family Development will provide advance funding to ensure those wage increases occur."
Cadieux said discussions with the different agencies are still ongoing.
If the money isn't forthcoming soon the agencies will be forced to make other unplanned budget cuts.
"A number of these agencies that are listed across B.C., including in Prince George, have said either they can't pay the promised wage increase, which is a breach of contract, or they have to cut services," Rohlfs said. "Basically this amounts to cuts to services by stealth."
