Retiree benefits for 84,000 provincial civil servants are being cut in a cost-saving move the Ontario Public Service Employees Union complains was “out of the blue.”

Starting in 2017, government workers will have to pay more and work twice as long to qualify for retirement benefits such as life insurance and health coverage under changes that will save taxpayers $1.2 billion over five years.

The measures announced Tuesday by Government Services Minister John Milloy forces retirees to pay half their benefit premiums, now fully funded by the government, and require 20 years’ service instead of 10.

It’s being imposed as Premier Kathleen Wynne’s minority Liberals struggle to erase an $11.7 billion deficit and face pressure from Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak to narrow the gap between public and private pension plans.

“Equally sharing the cost of benefits with future retirees will align Ontario with most other Canadian jurisdictions, the private sector and other public sector organizations,” Milloy said in a statement.

The changes took Ontario Public Service Employees Union president Warren (Smokey) Thomas by surprise.

“Do we like it? No. We are looking at our options,” said Thomas, adding he wasn’t notified until Tuesday morning.

Thomas said the government mused in 2009 about lengthening eligibility periods but “never once said anything about post-retirement benefit.”

“Don’t you think it behooves them to at least have a conversation?” he said.

“If they had at least talked to us maybe we could have showed them a little more palatable way to do it . . . because we have demonstrated on pensions in the past we can negotiate our way through to a win-win. And I don’t know why they wouldn’t have at least offered us that opportunity this time.”