BC Ferries is under fire for offering employees $900,000 worth of health perks just months after hiking fares 4.1 per cent.
The corporation confirmed it’s giving $300 to each of its roughly 3,000 front-line staff as a reward for their good safety record.
The employees can apply the money toward a gym membership or take it in the form of a gift card to Mountain Equipment Co-Op or Sport Chek.
BC Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall defended the health and wellness bonuses as a way to keep staff fit and reduce worker illness.
“When we have fewer employees calling in sick or getting injured at work, that reduces our costs. So we do believe there will be a payback with this program,” Marshall said.
But the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said the program is a slap in the face to the public, particularly after BC Ferries received a $25 million increase to its annual $210 million government subsidy.
The ferry corporation also absorbed a net loss of $17.2 million in the third-quarter ending in Dec. 2012.
The Federation’s B.C. Director, Jordan Bateman, said employees are expected to be safe at work, and it doesn’t make sense to reward them by paying their gym fees.
“We cut you a cheque every two weeks, we deposit it in your bank account for those things. It’s our expectation of you that you will provide that kind of service,” Bateman said. “This is what drives British Columbians crazy.”
Marshall said BC Ferries has been working to reduce employee injuries, and has reduced claim costs from $3.5 million in 2006 to $800,000 last year.
This is the first time employees have been given a $300 bonus to use toward healthy living.
B.C. Transportation Minister Todd Stone told CTV News he’s disappointed with the timing and optics of the perk, and has spoken with the corporation’s executive.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Peter Grainger
