DND cutting one St. John's civilian job

The Department of National Defense is cutting a single civilian position in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Union of National Defense Employees confirmed today that DND will be cutting one full-time clerk position from St. John’s as a larger package of cuts of more than 1,000 jobs.

It’s unclear at this point when these cuts will come into effect.

Union president John MacLennan says everything from research and development to food services is on the chopping block.

The department took a big hit in last week’s federal budget and was told it will need to cut over $1.1 billion over the next three years.

But the government has also committed to keeping the regular and reserve fighting force intact.

“If the government is not going to cut the size of the military or close any bases, who is going to do all the work?” MacLennan asked.

He said the answer is soldiers.

Around 19,200 civil servants will lose their jobs over the next three years as a result of the budget, but unions say the cuts to the public service actually go much deeper.

With files from The Canadian Press