Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

April 28, 2008 marks the 24th anniversary of the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or hurt by workplace injuries or disease.

The Canadian Labour Congress, who were the authors of this initiative in 1984, have marked this special day with the theme of “Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living – Now more than ever!” It is very encouraging to see that this special day is now celebrated around the world from Azerbaijan to Zambia with more involvement being seen each and every year.

The PSAC continues to struggle to create stronger laws and regulations in support of Health & Safety and Hazard Prevention. We hope that the annual observance of this day will strengthen the resolve to establish safer conditions in the workplace for all.

Please join with the PSAC and other labour organizations at Day of Mourning events scheduled in your community.

Resources (all .pdf)

• List of 2008 events in BC, provided by the BC Fed
• Day of Mourning Event poster - Victoria
• Resource Information for 2008 Day of Mourning
• Labour Council Notes for April 28th
• PSAC BC Day of Mourning poster (1.32 MB .pdf)

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Workers in Toronto to join global protests against the abduction and imprisonment of Mansour Osanloo and Mahmoud Salehi

OTTAWA - Canadian workers will mark an International Day of Action this Thursday, August 9 to protest the Iranian government’s arrest and imprisonment of two of that country’s prominent labour leaders.

Trade unionists and activists around the world are worried about the safety and
well-being of Mansour Osanloo, President of the ITF affiliated bus workers’ union Sandikaye Kargarane Sherkate Vahed (Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company). Mansour was reported as kidnapped on July 10th as he was getting off of a bus.

• Rally in Vancouver - join BC Federation of Labour, BC Teachers Federation, VDLC, CAW Local 111 & 333, Hospital Employees Union and other unions
• Time: 17:00 to 19:00 , Thursday, August 9, 2007, Vancouver Art Gallery, Howe & Robson

On July 12th it was confirmed that Osanloo has been imprisoned. Just days before his abduction, Canadian Labour Congress president Ken Georgetti had the pleasure of meeting Mansour as he addressed the ITUC General Council in Brussels. This was the first time that the ITUC - or for that matter its predecessor, the ICFTU welcomed an independent Iranian trade union leader from inside the country to its meetings.

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Update: The CLC has informed us the conference has been postponed. We will provide the new dates as soon as we receive them.

“Building our Power – Building our Presence”: CLC 3rd Aboriginal Forum and 3rd Aboriginal/Workers of Colour Conference

The face of Canada and our workplaces is changing like never before.Over the next twelve years, the canvas of Canada will undergo an unprecedented change, particularly for Aboriginal and communities of colour. The demographic projections are powerful.

The Aboriginal population is growing more than twice as fast as the rest of the population in Canada. Among First Nations and the Métis, 50 percent of the population is younger than 18. Among the Inuit, 50 percent of the population is younger than 15. No other Canadian source of labour can begin to meet the rising needs of numerous trades and professions over the long term.

For communities of colour, the next dozen years will also see a dramatic rise in numbers. By the time Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, one in five persons will be a person of colour. Similarly, the new Canadian labour force will see more young people of colour than ever before. Consider that Generation X (18-34 year olds) is a cohort of 20 million persons and 20 percent are of colour. Generation Y (5-15 year olds) is the most racially diverse cohort in Canadian history, with one in three a person of colour.

Now is the time to build on our growing numbers, power and political potential.

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It took three years for members of the United Nations (UN) to reach agreement on just thirty articles that define specific rights and freedoms for all human beings.

On December 10th, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted this comprehensive agreement and the United Nations Declaration gave human rights a new international legal status.

These thirty basic and universal rights were fought for by social justice movements around the world and advanced within the UN by progressive governments of the day.

Despite taking years to formulate and decades of existence, the struggle to ensure just entitlement of these thirty rights and freedoms requires our attention today and everyday.

• Read more about Human Rights Day 2006 at un.org.
• Read the PSAC Statement on International Human Rights Day at the national website.

Canadian governments must be held accountable by human rights activists and popular movements when any of the Universal Rights are violated.

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OTTAWA – As we get closer to December 1, World AIDS Day, Canadian workers and their unions call on the federal government to end its long silence on HIV/AIDS and make some much-needed commitments to fight the disease at home and abroad.

We are at risk of losing some valuable ground in our fight against HIV/AIDS because the Canadian government has deserted the field in the middle of battle,” says Hassan Yussuff, secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress.

The Canadian Labour Congress adds its voice to the ninety organizations that support the call of the Global Treatment Access Group (GTAG) and share their prescriptions about what Canada should do to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS.

“For years, Canadian workers and their unions have been on the frontlines of the fight to prevent the spread of the disease, to protect affected workers against discrimination and unemployment and to help develop strategies to make medical treatment accessible. At times, we have been able to count on the government to accompany our efforts. However, the government’s continuous withdrawal from these issues, over the last year, could end up defeating all we’ve accomplished.”

Continue reading the CLC statement on World AIDS Day at canadianlabour.ca

How important is your CLC Winter School? Would you believe us if we say that it will help improve the lives of millions? The accomplishments of the labour movement in Canada over the last 50 years have raised the quality of life of the vast majority of Canadians to a point envied by many nations. In the beginning, each and every one of these accomplishments started out as a struggle for union activists and their allies.

But these were activists that were trained to win. You will acquire some of that knowledge and many of these skills during your week at winter school.

The Canadian Labour Congress Winter School will take place January 21^st to February 16^th in Harrison Hot Springs.

Visit the CLC Winter School website for more information, including online application and course descriptions. The registration deadline is December 15^th

To: BC Federation of Labour Officers

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

You are likely aware that Bill C-257 passed at a second reading vote in Parliament last week. The vote was 167-101, with the entire NDP and Bloc caucuses voting in favour. Most of the Liberal caucus and a few of the Conservatives also voted in favour. Attached (below) please find a list of how the BC MP’s voted, and provincial totals from across the country.

I would like to thank you, your organization and activists for the tremendous effort that helped to get this result. Some MP’s received huge numbers of calls and letters, and these undoubtedly influenced how they voted. BC Labour Councils did a great job of getting in to see all MP’s, many of them for second and third times.

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The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 402 has established, through the BC Federation of Labour, a memorial scholarship for a union woman to attend the “Women In Leadership” course at the Canadian Labour Congress Harrison Winter School, January 21 - 26 2007.

The scholarship will cover the costs of tuition, accommodations and meals for this event.

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A Labour Day Message from Ken Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress

OTTAWA – This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Labour Congress.

When a milestone like this is reached, it is only natural to look back and marvel at what we have accomplished. And what a difference unions have made in people’s lives!

Over the span of two generations, the unions of the Canadian Labour Congress have improved the way we work and how we live.

Many of the benefits that were first bargained in collective agreements one workplace at a time are now enjoyed by all Canadians and their families. In fact, they have become so much a part of everyday life that most of us simply take them for granted.

Thus, today Canadians enjoy the security of the Canada Pension Plan, overtime and holiday pay, or universal public medicare. But in 1956, these were only dreams for most workers unless they belonged to a strong union.

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OTTAWA – After the first debate on Bill C-257 – An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (replacement workers) – Canadian working families feel more confident that Parliament will finally adopt legislation to ban the use of scabs during labour disputes under the Canada Labour Code.

“It’s a matter of fairness and balance,” explains Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress. “The prohibition to use scabs protects the interests of working Canadians and their families against the might of large, often global, employers with no roots in the community.”

Such legislation exists in Quebec since 1977 and in British Columbia since 1993; causing, in both cases, a general decline in the loss of work time due to strikes or lockouts, and marking a diminution of their length and intensity.

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Georgetti says it’s time to enforce the rules and protect workers’ health and safety

OTTAWA – On Friday, flags will be lowered and working people across the country will take a few moments to remember their friends, family and colleagues who have died from workplace injuries. For the past 22 years, April 28 has been recognized as a National Day of Mourning to both reflect and focus on making Canada’s workplaces healthier and safer.

“People go to work so they can build a better life for themselves and their families. Nothing is more important for a worker, especially a young worker, than having the confidence that their workplace is safe and they are protected from harm,” says Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, marking the day with workers at a ceremony in Kamloops, British Columbia.

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OTTAWA – “With two-thirds of mothers with children under the age of three working outside the home to support their families; with three quarters of mothers with children between three and five working outside the home and with more than half of all Canadian children in some form of child care, governments across the country, federal and provincial, have a duty to make sure our children enjoy high-quality and safe child care,” says Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress.

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On April 28th nearly 100 countries worldwide will stop to pay tribute to workers killed and injured on the job. We in the labour movement will stop to publicly renew our commitment to “fight for the living” as well as “mourn for the dead”.

In 1984 the Canadian Labour Congress Executive Council declared April 28th the annual National Day of Mourning. Since then unions, central labour bodies, Labour Councils, and governments around the world have adopted the National Day of Mourning as a day to remember workers who have been killed or injured on the job. In 1991 the Canadian Parliament passed Bill C-223, an (Act Respecting a Day of Mourning.) In 1992 the BC NDP government designated April 28th as an annual day to remember those who have suffered as a result of the hazards of work.

Continue reading ‘Why does the labour movement observe April 28th?’ at bcfed.com.

OTTAWA – The Canadian Labour Congress turns fifty this month. It was on April 23rd, 1956, at a convention in Toronto, that the Canadian Labour Congress was born from the union of the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada and the Canadian Congress of Labour.

“In fifty years, we have accomplished so much yet there is much more to be done,” says Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Everyone who works for wages, one day or another, comes to realize that a union means better pay, benefits and pensions. Over the last fifty years, in their daily struggle for fairness, equality, and opportunity, the unions of the Canadian Labour Congress have improved the quality of life of all Canadian families.”

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Fighting The Blues, the Canadian Labour Congress 13th National Women’s Conference will be held in Ottawa from June 11 to 14, 2006. This is a timely conference for the Labour movement. With the election of a minority Conservative government the challenges for working families and especially for women are greater than ever. The labour and women’s movements have made some important gains over the last decades. We must build our movement to ensure that we maintain the advances we have achieved and move our agenda forward in our workplaces, our communities and our legislatures.

Visit the CLC website for the call letter, registration and more information.

Subsidies have been made available by the National and Regional Offices to assist a PSAC member in BC to attend the conference. Please note the PSAC BC Regional Council conference grant guidelines. Applications for a subsidy (available here) should be received in REVP’s office no later than May 1st. The conference registration deadline is May 23rd.

Adrian Dix, MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway invites you to attend a Community Childcare Forum:
With the cancellation of the Federal-Provincial child care agreement as of March 2007, child care in our community is in jeopardy once again. Come and express your views.

• Wednesday March 29, 2006 6:15 to 8:00 pm
• Collingwood Neighborhood House 5288 Joyce Street,Multi-purpose room
• Dinner starts at 5:30 pm, child minding available.

For more information about the Canada wide campaign to protect child care, CODE BLUE FOR CHILDCARE, please check out the following web sites www.childcareadvocacy.ca and www.cccabc.bc.ca

In addition to the CCCA’s campaign, the CLC is planning a lobbying campaign on parliament hill in May 2006 to target three priorities

• anti scab legislation
• child care agreements
• healthcare privatization

This information was presented at last nights New Westminster District Labour Council meeting.

March 21, 1960 – there must have been excitement and fear that day as the residents of Sharpeville, South Africa gathered to peacefully protest the Apartheid “pass laws.” Imagine the courage each of the equity warriors demonstrated as they peacefully stood together against those that were familiar with using brutal violence to enforce racial injustice. Students and neighbours came together in a common commitment to seek change, to pursue equity, and to demand the elimination of racism within a country that had legitimized inequality.

It must have been an exhilarating dream.

Forty-six years ago, they stood together for this dream. Today, we remember their bravery. That day, sixty-nine black demonstrators were killed and 180 wounded by armed South African police, in what history records as the Sharpeville Massacre.

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One of our new Prime Minister’s first acts was to strongly advise another newly-elected government to honour the agreements negotiated and signed by its predecessor.

Yet, that’s what his new government wants to do. It wants to scrap the child care agreements signed last fall by the federal government and each province. Five-year funding deals will be terminated in March 2007, over the strong objections of provincial governments who made plans to better serve young families and their children.

Why do this? What makes the Prime Minister’s own vision of child care so compelling that it should override and cancel the vision each and every premier signed onto in their contract with Ottawa? Why take away badly-needed child care spaces – like the 6000 spaces that would have been created for working families in Toronto alone.

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OTTAWA – Next Tuesday, February 28, is the internationally-recognized Repetitive Strain Injury Awareness Day. On this occasion, working people are counting on the federal government to follow through with promised new regulations to prevent the scourge of workplace injuries known as RSIs (repetitive strain injuries).

One of every ten Canadian adults (more than two million people) reported RSIs serious enough to limit their normal activities, according to a Statistics Canada survey from 2000/2001. The same study found most of these injuries were caused by work-related activity.

“Canadian workers are suffering from repetitive strain injuries in epidemic proportions,” says Marie Clarke Walker, executive vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress. “RSIs impact workers, their families and the economy. We cannot ignore such a debilitating yet preventable workplace hazard any longer,” she says.

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OTTAWA – A new study by the Canadian Labour Congress confirms that the job market discriminates against workers of colour, and more so against young workers who are Canadian-born.

Analysing closely data from Statistics Canada’s 2001 Census, the study “Racial Status and Employment Outcomes” by Leslie Cheung, a graduate student in public policy at Simon Fraser University, in Vancouver, explains that “the fact that Canadian-born workers of colour are doing badly cannot be explained away by reference to lack of Canadian credentials and experience.”

“As Canadians, individually and collectively, we must come to grips with harsh realization that every day we are straying further and further away from our goals of equality,” says Hassan Yussuff, secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congr ess about the findings of this study. “Can we predict a strong future built on hope, respect, solidarity and citizenship when racial discrimination prevents workers who are more highly educated than average to find and keep steady employment at decent wages?”

“Racial Status and Employment Outcomes” is available on the Canadian Labour Congress web site.

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