Union bosses are warning Government not to “erode jobs, pensions and employee benefits” in the Civil Service.

And Bermuda Public Services Union president Kevin Grant has also said his members need to be consulted before Government brings about any sweeping changes to the service.

In a statement issued last night, Mr Grant revealed that Premier Craig Cannonier had written to the unions informing them of the launch of a Public Service Reform initiative designed to make the Civil Service more efficient and effective.

And Finance Minister Bob Richards also met with union bosses to discuss public service reform, including changes to pensions and “mutualisation”.

“The BPSU would like to make it clear that this cannot be deemed as consultation as no specifics were discussed at that meeting,” Mr Grant said.

He added that the BPSU had always supported any proposals to make the Civil Service more effective and added that any new reforms needed to address reducing budget overruns, controlling Ministerial overrides and improving checks and balances within the service.

“The reform initiative should not be used as a means to erode jobs, pensions and employee benefits,” Mr Grant said.

“The BPSU, as a critical stakeholder, will make every effort to stay abreast of all developments of the reform initiative and keep our entire membership informed during each stage of this critical process.”

On Sunday, Mr Cannonier said the Public Service Reform initiative will “serve as the platform to implement some of the SAGE recommendations that the Government has determined it supports”.

The Savings and Government Efficiency Commission put forward a raft of recommendations to cut costs within the Civil Service last November after spending six months examining how Government administration and bureaucracy could be streamlined.