The “job loyalty” bonus that will be paid starting April 1 to civil servants who have been in office for several years looks like a waste of time that will cost the Quebec government dearly, according to the panelists in the “Ça fait débat” segment.
• Also read: $800 annual bonus for loyal civil servants starting April 1
On the airwaves of TVA Midi, analysts criticized the measure announced by the Legault government which aims to grant a bonus of up to $800 to government employees with at least three years of seniority within the same ministry.
“I don’t think it will make a difference. What we are certain of today is that it will be expensive and for a long time, for several years,” says Marc-André Leclerc.
“If someone wants to make the jump from public to private, usually the margins and salary differences are bigger than that,” he adds.
For her colleague Joëlle Boutin, this incentive will not weigh heavily in the balance for civil servants who are thinking of leaving their post.
“They are very demobilized in several ministries and organizations. […] “People need to work on innovative projects and feel included in the programs. I have friends who are civil servants who are discouraged. It’s long, everything is slow. So it takes a lot more than money to keep people working,” says the analyst.
As for columnist Antoine Robitaille, he believes that the problem is not limited to civil servants who leave their jobs to go work in the private sector.
“Civil servants are increasingly moving from department to department and I think the government and the union want to ensure that people stay in the same place,” he says.
To see the full exchange, watch the video above.
