City of Vancouver lays off 300 additional employees

Apr 16 2020, 10:04 pm

Approximately 300 additional City of Vancouver employees have been laid off since the start of April.

At the beginning of the month, Deputy City Manager Paul Mochrie told Daily Hive that there had been 1,500 layoffs, including workers who operate community centres, civic theatres, and the Vancouver Public Library.

A spokesperson with the City of Vancouver has confirmed that since then, 300 more employees have been laid off from the same areas, along with some parking enforcement staff.

In total, 1,800 unionized staff members have undergone temporary layoffs.

Other cost-cutting measures from the City include a salary reduction for management and non-unionized employees. Affected staff are required to take one mandatory unpaid day off in every 10-day period from now until mid-December, shaving off approximately 10% of their salary.

Additional methods of saving include restricting new hiring and travel, reviewing the 2020 capital budget, and reducing discretionary spending costs wherever possible.

On Thursday, Mayor Kennedy Stewart announced that he would be seeking a voluntary 10% pay cut to match the reduction of affected employees.

Stewart’s salary in 2019 was $174,258, plus an annual supplement of $3,048, according to the City of Vancouver website.

Vincent PlanaVincent Plana

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