Thursday, May 17, 2012

Michael Smyth of the Province (newspaper) covered this, so did the BBC. Let's try it again.

And here we thought these kind of days were over. Under the section on PENS, you too, as an employee of the BC Government can order items and have them delivered to them right to their desk

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$55.00 for a PEN!!!

Okay, it's been twelve hours, I've settled down. When I was working, and someone needed a gold plate watch, or a gold plated pen, that sort of gift was handed out, and picked out, by the Company eg. Government, whereas the "guys" bought the card to sign, collected some money from their own pockets, and off the fellow work went into his glory days of retirement. Pens haven't changed in price that much, compared to a watch, but here we have as a bonus, some guy, down the hall, picking up the phone, or emailing in a request, to have a fellow worker be in receipt of a present, from one worker to another. Kevin Falcon says there is a "review by a human resource department", just how many hours are spent by a human resource department deciding whether to give the thumbs up, or down, and why can't this human resource department just do their job and hand out gold plated Bic pens while they're at it.

Damn! I thought I had settled down. Okay, Okay, I took ten deep breaths, I feel much better.... until, I went to the Government sponsored Search Button down below and typed in "camera" and got no joy...... then I typed in "underwear" still, nothing....... then I typed in "Gold Pen":

Obtaining Your PEN
If you attended a BC K-12 school since 1993, or wrote a provincial exam since 1986, you may obtain your PEN.

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Writing Instrument

Cross Pens These fine writing instruments by “Cross” with the British Columbia Provincial Shield mounted on the clip are available in a variety of colours and finishes. Each pen is presented boxed for a distinguished gift. 7520841004 Cross Pen, Gold-Filled EA $55.00

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However, Finance Minister Kevin Falcon says that Michael Smyth has got it wrong

Snip....There are guidelines in place for all purchases to ensure account-ability. If Mike Smyth had asked we'd have told him. Any recognition requires review by a human-resource department..... Snip

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Falcon has got it wrong! Taxpayers of British Columbia don't need to buy Pens that cost us $55.00 just so they can be passed from one employees desk to another employees desk! One other minor detail, this government website ENCOURAGES employees to visit the store online..... is that their time, or the taxpayers time?
http://www.pss.gov.bc.ca/dcv/giftware.html

PSS › DCV › Protocol and Specialty Giftware

Protocol and Specialty Giftware

The Distribution Centre Victoria provides giftware for employee recognition, conferences, retirements, and more. BC government employees can order items and have them delivered to them right to their desk. The PDFs of our Giftware Catalogue below showcase some of the items we carry, but keep in mind that our DCV Online Store has the most up-to-date products and pricing.
To Order: Visit the DCV Online Store to order electronically or print off this order form and fax it to us at (250) 356-0404. Orders can be charged to your office or personal account. If you do not presently have an account, contact our Customer Service Desk at (250) 952-4460. We will be happy to set you up and walk you through your first order.