The Official Opposition is calling for Digital Government and Service NL Minister Sarah Stoodley to make changes to the working conditions at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Loyola O’Driscoll was responding to a report from VOCM news, in which NAPE details “workplace issues” they’ve been hearing of within the division, including a decrease in the number of highway enforcement officers in the province. According to NAPE, that number has dwindled to 21, and over 50 per cent decrease from 2008.
O’Driscoll says he was “alarmed” to hear those numbers.
He says the Motor Vehicles Division has been “plagued with problems,” noting that an “excessively high number of vacancies” has led to increased stress and pressure on workers, and a decline in customer service and safety on the roads.
O’Driscoll says minister Stoodley must step in to fix the culture, working conditions, and vacancies within the department, and make sure workers are appreciated and supported.
In a statement to VOCM News, the department says it is “not appropriate” to discuss human resource issues publicly.
They say all workers are entitled to be treated with respect, fairness, and dignity, and there is a process to follow should someone feel they are not.
In regards to vacancies within the division, government says they are working to fill them.