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10 per cent perk if cut targets met appalling, says HEU

Another leaked document reveals that the Campbell Liberals will give senior health bosses a ten per cent bonus—on top of the already large salaries—as an incentive for health authorities to meet government targets for hospital closures, service cuts and privatization that could see thousands of front-line health care workers lose their jobs.

It’s a move that HEU secretary-business manager Chris Allnutt says “scandalous and nothing short of appalling.

We’re talking about running a health care system—not a car dealership,” he says.

Now we know why health bosses have been approaching front-line caregivers asking us to help them ‘manage’ the cuts—to help them win their big bonuses.”

The story broke in Kelowna’s Capital City News, which exposed how top Interior Health Authority bosses could benefit from the secret bonus scheme, which was outlined in the yet to be made public performance contracts between the Campbell government and all six B.C. health authorities.

The bonuses would be awarded at the discretion of the health authority boards, which are stacked with Campbell appointees drawn mostly from the business community. That could mean a windfall of almost $35,000 for some top bosses—an amount equal to the average wage for an HEU member.

But, to keep senior health managers toeing the cutbacks line, Campbell’s government will dock their pay by 10 per cent if they don’t hit their targets.

Meanwhile, responding to tips from union members about big pay boosts for bosses, HEU is slowly forcing health employers to reveal salary figures and severance payouts for administrators.

For example, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority CEO Phil Hassen has received two separate pay boosts totaling $45,000 since Dec.13 last year—the day after the Campbell government dissolved the old health regions and community councils. Hassen now pulls down $323,000 a year plus expenses, which the health authority says is comparable to what his peers at other large Canadian hospitals make.