N.L. lighthouse keepers 'can't afford' Phoenix pay problems: union

A union leadersays lighthouse keepers in Newfoundland and Labrador arestruggling with themuch-despised Phoenix pay system.

Most of the province's 53 lighthouse staff are losing out on somepay thanks to the broken system, said Karen Hanlon, shop steward for theUnion of Canadian Transportation Employees.

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Many of them are missing out on significant portions of their pay, she said, mainly because the Phoenix system doesn't let them cash out on days they've built up workingovertime.

"They're extending their lines of credit, they're asking their family members to lend them money, they're racking up their credit cards, and in many cases they're doing without," said Hanlon.

'Lowest paid' group

Hanlon said lighthouse keepers are some of the lowest paid employees in the public service, making it a particularly hard blow.

"Everybody is losing something," she said.

"Being the lowest paid occupational group in almost the entire public service, we can't afford to be losing our pay. And we shouldn't have to."

Roughly 100 public service workers and union leadersrallied at Harbourside Park in St. John's Thursday.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada organized the protest, calling Phoenix a "national disgrace" and scorning Judy Foote, minister of public services and procurement.

About80,000 federal employees have had issues with getting paid since Phoenix was introduced in February.

That number includes thousands of workers in Newfoundland and Labrador, said PSAC vice-president Chris Aylward.