January 25, 2012
Ottawa, ON – A message from the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, regarding the CAW's recent misleading statements about the Canadian Coast Guard's decision to reduce overtime costs.
"The safety of Mariners is our top priority and we would not implement any policies that would put lives at risk.
"As a result of a risk assessment and workload study, in which the CAW participated, the Coast Guard is reducing the number of overtime hours for employees at Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre to reflect the actual workload at any given time.
“While the union tries to portray this as shortsighted, the fact is that this approach has already been in use successfully in Victoria and Quebec for about 5 and 10 years respectively and the Coast Guard is simply now expanding this approach on a national level.
"There will be no jobs lost as a result of the implementation and mariners will continue to receive the same level of service they currently receive.
"Like any responsible organization, we must ensure that we use our resources wisely. Canadians do not want to be paying for unnecessary or unproductive overtime."
Hon. Keith Ashfield
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
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For more information:
Erin Filliter
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
613-992-3474