Dear Editor:
Re: Gov't workers take more sick days, In My Opinion, Burnaby NOW, Sept. 13.
I was disgusted to read the editorial opinion piece by Jordan Bateman, the B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, that was given such prominence in the Burnaby NOW.
Mr. Bateman goes on the usual rant expressedby his employers in the federation about evil government workers taking sick days. According to the federation and Mr. Bateman, there is something wrong because, according to the dubious statistics and wild extrapolations of the federation, government workers take more sick days than what they suppose is the norm in the so-called "private sector." Having worked in both the government and private sectors at the executive level, albeit only briefly for government a very long time ago, and having been an employer in my own business, I can speak to some of Mr. Bateman's and the federation's hyped-up concerns.
Firstly, statistics are a wonderful thing. They can usually be twisted to meet any need for an answer. From what I know of the federation, they are expert at twisting any statistic to support their preconceived notions. Secondly, do the federation and Mr. Bateman realize that in the "private sector" many sick days are simply never recorded or that workers often arrive at work sick because they are in fear of losing their jobs if they do not at least show up? While that fear may reduce the statistical numbers, it does not lead to real productivity. Sick workers may be on the job but usually they are not really able to be productive. Often they pose a danger to themselves and their co-workers. Arriving at work sick also means that disease is easily spread to others instead of being better confined for the benefit of all by the taking of justifiable sick leave. I for one always wanted my sick fellow employees to stay home before they spread their disease to me and reduced my productivity and that of my team. Those kind of losses of productive capacity do not show up in any statistics no matter how you twist them.
Just who are Mr. Bateman and the federation? They are certainly prominent in the news media across Canada. How many Canadians do the federation actually represent? I have seen reports that less than 100,000 people are members of the federation across Canada but have no verifiable numbers myself. Given the population of Canada, that number is not very high for an organization with such a large media presence and budgets.
Speaking of money and budgets, just where does the federation get its copious funds from? How much of those funds come from self-interested elites seeking to enrich themselves at the expense of the average Canadian. I have often witnessed the federation go on a rant about the salaries and benefits of union members and government employees. Just what does Mr. Bateman earn from the federation - directly and indirectly - and what other salaries does the federation support? Who does the well-funded federation speak for? Who pays their bills and sets their policy? I personally suspect it is a small group of fat cats who do not represent the interests of the majority of Canadians.
Mr. Bateman, you and the federation simply do not represent the interests of this Canadian taxpayer, and I suspect never will. In that statement, I also expect that I am supported by the vast majority of average Canadians.
Carl R. Dillon, Burnaby
