The New Brunswick government has shelved indefinitely its decision to phase out free parking for provincial workers — pending a review.
The measure had been announced in the 2016 budget to save money. But it was met with backlash by union heads who say the sweeping changes aren’t fair to many they represent.
“The groups that are going to be affected mostly are in the social worker side of things,” said Ralph McBride, Canadian Union of Public Employees national representative. “They don’t just park there and go in the office and stay in the office. They may need to leave in an emergency situation on those days to go see clients.”
The New Brunswick Union President echoed CUPE’s statement.
“We oppose this change for all our members, especially those who use their vehicle for their job,” said Susie Proulx-Daigle. “We will continue to work with government to reverse this decision.”
In a statement, the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure indicated it has put the measure on hold for now, but has’t completely gone back on its plans.
“We are reviewing the matter, including taking into consideration the concerns raised by employees and unions, in order to achieve the objectives related to parking set out in the budget.”
No timeline is set on when the review may be completed.