Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

PSAC members want better health, safety and environmental regulations and more rigorous enforcement

PSAC members must make use of every forum available to speak out against deregulation and the implementation of measures that weaken their health and safety protection and their environment.

This was one of the messages heard at the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) National Health and Safety Conference held in Ottawa from January 19 to 21, 2007. PSAC National President, John Gordon, told delegates that “Canadians need a government that responds to the public’s needs, not to the desires of large corporations. We all need quality public services provided by our unionized members, who enjoy good health and safety protection. It’s our challenge, but it’s also our right,” he added.

• You can also read John Gordon’s speech at the Conference.
• See some pictures of the Conference.

More than 300 PSAC members attended the Conference, the theme of which was “Regulation Works”. Together union members devised strategies to: counter the federal government’s push to scale down occupational health and safety and environmental regulations; improve enforcement of health and safety legislation to better protect workers; and, dispel the myth of the careless employee. Members also debated resolutions some of which will be forwarded to the Alliance Executive Committee for action and the rest will be forwarded to the next PSAC Triennial Convention.

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Public servants in Canada are less likely to be visible minorities than workers in the private sector and that is worrisome, says a report released Tuesday.

The report was released by the country’s Public Service Commission, an independent agency that is supposed to ensure Canada’s public service is competent, non-partisan and representative of the population.

Maria Barrados, president of the commission, found three main areas of concern in this year’s report:

• the “unmonitored movement” of employees between positions in the civil service and positions in ministers’ offices
• the underrepresentation of visible minorities in the public sector
• questionable ways temporary staff gained longer-term and permanent positions

In one of its main concerns, the report found that in 2005, fewer minorities worked in the public service than worked in the private sector.

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Cheers to Jennie for sending us this report on the World/Labour Peace Forums, held recently in Vancouver. For more information about these events visit worldpeaceforum.ca and vdlc.ca.

Blogging on the World’s First Peace Forum in Vancouver BC, June 23-28, 2006by Jennie Chu, BC EO rep for PSAC-Agriculture Union

I was one of 4500 delegates registered for the World Peace Forum (WPF) and truly was grateful to Vancouver District Labour Council (VDLC) for organizing the 2-day Labour Peace Forum (LPF).

Patty Ducharme (NEVP, PSAC), Jennie Chu (AGR EO Rep, BC) and Yves Ducharme (National President, AGR).

The LPF was made possible through the generous financial support from CUPE National, PSAC, BCGEU, CUPW, BCNU, CEP, HAS, CUPE BC, HEU, CAW, COPE 378, BCFED, ILWU 500, CUPE METRO, IUOE 963, CUPE 402, MWBIU 1, UFCW, BCNU Shaughnessy Heights, CAW 2200, IBEW 258, Saskatoon Labour Council, and Campbell River Labour Council.

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All PSAC health and safety activists should be proud of their achievement over the last few years. Health and safety has been propelled to the forefront of our union’s agenda. Your hard work started with our 2003 PSAC National Convention where a record number of health and safety resolutions were debated and endorsed by the delegates.

The budget was considerably increased and included full funding for 300 delegates attending this conference.

And like the Unity Conference, the Access Conference, the Pride Conference and the National Women’s Conference, the National Health and Safety Conference now also has the right to send resolutions to the next PSAC Convention.

The theme of our 6^th National Health and Safety Conference was Health and Safety: Our Jobs, Our World.

Read the full conference report at the National Capitol Region regional website.

The 2005 Unity Conference was held September 23-25th in Halifax. The objectives of the 2005 National Unity Conference were:

* To enhance our understanding and analysis of the challenges facing Racially Visible and Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis communities in our fight against racism;

* To empower, politicize and mobilize to take action to ensure our Union, workplaces and communities are inclusive and racism free; and

* To strengthen our formal and informal networks, communication and to build solidarity between and among Racially Visible and Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis members at all levels within our Union.

The Final Report of the Unity Conference is now available at the national website.