At least 51 full-time civilian defence jobs at CFB Esquimalt will be eliminated by spring 2015.

Of those, 29 positions will be terminated at the Fleet Maintenance Facility, whose workers maintain five Royal Canadian Navy warships and the submarine, HMCS Victoria.

Another 22 full-time positions filled by members of the Public Service Alliance of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Union of National Defence Employees will be eliminated. The union represents 1,200 operational, technical services and office administration workers at the base, the Rocky Point ammunition depot, a supply depot in Colwood and 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron.

B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 a significant impact to the affected members, of course,B次元官网网址� said Mark Miller, B.C. vice-president of the Union of National Defence Employees. B次元官网网址淏ut when you compare the hit that (our unionB次元官网网址檚 workers in) B.C. took in relation to the rest of the country, no, we got off (lightly).B次元官网网址�

The elimination of jobs comes on the heels of the federal governmentB次元官网网址檚 2012 budget, announced March 29.

About two weeks ago, CFB Esquimalt officials began informing workers at the Fleet Maintenance Facility that they may be potentially impacted.

Many members of MillerB次元官网网址檚 union also have not yet been told which positions are being terminated, a point which is impacting morale, he said.

Secrecy around the departmentB次元官网网址檚 strategic review and deficit reduction action plan, launched in recent years to identify cost savings, adds to the worry, he said. B次元官网网址�(It causes) uncertainty and confusion, but it also keeps the Canadian population in the dark, because no one really understands what the big hit is. I think itB次元官网网址檚 political spin-doctoring and population manipulation.B次元官网网址�

Des Rogers, national president of the Federal Government Dockyard Trade and Labour Council (West), agrees, saying, B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of very nervous people out there.B次元官网网址�

His membership, which includes about 825 workers at the Fleet Maintenance Facility, 12 at the Rocky Point ammunition depot and about 15 at the Nanoose Bay test range, will suffer the deepest cuts out of about six unions at CFB Esquimalt.

Maintenance facility workers have already felt the sting, Rogers said, of about 175 layoffs of term and casual workers over the past year and a half, as work wrapped up on HMCS Victoria.

B次元官网网址�(Workers are) constantly being asked to do more with less,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淓verybody feels the strain.B次元官网网址�

Union leaders hope base officials will move workers whose jobs have been declared surplus into positions they say have been left vacant over the past year at the naval base.

Attrition may also help ease the pain, though that option could create stress for workers nearing retirement.

B次元官网网址淣ot everybody can afford to retire just because they have their time in,B次元官网网址� Rogers said.

Miller worries there may be future rounds of job cuts, though likely not as deep nationally.

The defence departmentB次元官网网址檚 strategic review and its deficit reduction action plan speak to the need for future and recurring savings, he said.

B次元官网网址淭hat tells me weB次元官网网址檙e not out of the woods yet.B次元官网网址�

Calls to the Department of National Defence in Ottawa were not returned before press time.

emccracken@vicnews.com