RCMP still facing a wage gap, despite low-ball federal pay announcement

LANGLEY, BC, April 6, 2017 /CNW/ - RCMP officers will continue to face a wage gap that puts their salaries behind those offered to other police services, despite a low-ball wage adjustment offered by Treasury Board this week, the Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada (MPPAC) said today.

"While we see some progress in the admission that RCMP members face a wage gap, the reality is that RCMP salaries will still lag behind for the foreseeable future," said MPPAC spokesperson Rob Creasser. "This low-ball wage announcement confirms our belief that RCMP members need collective bargaining to secure fair salaries."

Prior to this announcement, RCMP members were 14.4 percent behind comparable police officers in terms of overall compensation. The government's announcement of a 2.3 per cent adjustment and two increases of 1.25 per cent is simply not enough to make up the difference.

Currently, the starting salary for a first-class RCMP constable is $82,108, compared to $102,000 for an officer in Calgary.

MPPAC members are particularly concerned that Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale described the low increases as "prudent" in light of mismanagement in senior levels of the RCMP. This follows news of bonuses paid to 90 senior officers worth more than $1.7 million.

"There was nothing prudent about the bonuses offered to senior management or the mismanagement that led to a $100 million class action lawsuit for harassment. Prudent is a word that only comes out when politicians are sticking front-line police officers with a wage gap."

The figures released by the government appear to be linked to public service wages, rather than comparable police salaries.

"The government simply cannot compare the salaries of an RCMP member and a public servant. Police officers obviously have completely different jobs, and take significantly more risks, comparable to public servants, and the only fair wage for an RCMP member is one that is in-line with another police officer, doing the same job," Creasser said.

MPPAC argues that RCMP members should be paid more, not less than other police officers.

"When you consider the range of local, national and international work done by RCMP members, the actual salary should be more than that of other forces," said MPPAC President Rae Banwarie.

MPPAC is working towards union certification and collective bargaining, as a means of addressing the wage gap.

"For an RCMP member wanting to achieve wage parity, proper resourcing and a host of other previous benefits that have been systematically cut, the first step is to buy an MPPAC membership today," Creasser said.

SOURCE Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada (MPPAC)

Rob Creasser, Media Relations, Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada, Association Canadienne Professionnelle de la Police Montée, T:[phone], E: [email protected]; Terry McKee, Media Relations, Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada, Association Canadienne Professionnelle de la Police Montée, T: [phone], E: [email protected]