Unnecessary cuts lead to significant job losses in education: AFL

Stats Can report shows Alberta only province to increase unemployment in February

EDMONTON, March 13 /CNW/ - "Alberta is the only province that saw bigger unemployment numbers in February and it's a direct result of needless cuts to public services," said Gil McGowan, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

"Our report, 'Worse Than the Recession' that was released in January warned that public service cuts would result in lost jobs at a rate that was worse than during the recession itself," McGowan added. "Today's numbers suggest that's the path we're travelling."

In its Labour Force Survey, released today, Stats Can showed that Alberta is the only province in Canada that continued to lose a significant number of jobs in February. Almost all of the 14,800 jobs lost were in the Education Services sector.

February also saw the introduction of the 2010 Alberta Provincial budget that saw $205-million or 6% cut to Advanced Education and Technology.

"Instead of speaking out against cuts, like those in health services and elementary and secondary education, leaders in the post-secondary field decided to cut their work force in anticipation of a bad-news budget," McGowan noted. "They got the budget they anticipated and Albertans will suffer the consequences."

The AFL is a member of Join Together Alberta, a coalition of human services groups and labour organizations that hosted 22 town hall meetings across the province in January and February to highlight the value of public services to Albertan communities.

For further information: Gil McGowan, [phone]