Two of Canada’s biggest public sector labor unions say they have already begun working towards getting rid of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government in the next election.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) have both begun campaigns to inform Canadians about the impact the government’s actions are having, union leaders told those attending the Broadbent Institute’s Progress Summit.
Denis Lemelin, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, said it is important to start now to replace Harper’s Conservative Party.
“It is obvious that we have to get rid of this government and what is clear is that we can’t wait until spring or October 2015.”
Replacing the Conservative government is one of the goals of the campaign it has begun to fight proposed postal service cuts, Lemelin told the audience.
“One of the objectives of our campaign is to get rid of the Harper government to force the return of postal service or maintain the postal service the way it is.”
Elizabeth Woods, national capital representative for PSAC, said her union has been working to let Canadians know about the impact of the government’s cuts to the public service.
“We have started to work a lot on the ground, to remind the Canadian public about the impact of those attacks on democracy,” she replied when asked how to get rid of the Harper government.
The comments came during a panel to discuss the Conservative government’s attacks on Canada’s labor movement – everything from cutting unionized public service jobs to adopting legislation to force unions to make public how they spend members dues and changing the rules regarding essential services in the lead up to negotiations to renew public service labor agreements.
But while a number of measures impact all labor unions, the unions that have felt the brunt of the government’s actions are the those that represent Canada’s federal government public servants.
Federal public servants are stressed out and afraid of losing their jobs, Woods told the audience.
“There is really a climate of fear. There is also a sentiment that ‘I’m lucky to have a job, I am in competition with my colleagues for the same positions so I don’t want to express my frustration with management.”
Woods said public servants are being watched and their e-mails are being monitored. Union members are afraid to be seen supporting the union.
Public servants don’t feel that the government respects them and stress in the workplace is up, Woods said.
“Think about it. These people are the people who have to implement policies with which they don’t necessarily agree. To tell someone ‘I can’t help you with your tax return – you’re going to have to call a 1-800 number when for years I served people at the counter. To tell a veteran, yes the office in your region is going to close but you can download an app to help you with your services. It really puts people in a situation of distress – we see it.”
Lemelin described what he sees as collusion between the Harper government and Canada Post, saying the service cuts they are trying to impose without debate will elimate 6,000 to 8,000 jobs. Lemelin predicted the government will move in the future to completely privatize Canada Post.
While Lemelin talked about the importance of fighting the cuts, he said unions also have to offer hope and come forward with positive proposals and a vision for the future.
Original Article
Source: ipolitics.ca/
Author: Elizabeth Thompson
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) have both begun campaigns to inform Canadians about the impact the government’s actions are having, union leaders told those attending the Broadbent Institute’s Progress Summit.
Denis Lemelin, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, said it is important to start now to replace Harper’s Conservative Party.
“It is obvious that we have to get rid of this government and what is clear is that we can’t wait until spring or October 2015.”
Replacing the Conservative government is one of the goals of the campaign it has begun to fight proposed postal service cuts, Lemelin told the audience.
“One of the objectives of our campaign is to get rid of the Harper government to force the return of postal service or maintain the postal service the way it is.”
Elizabeth Woods, national capital representative for PSAC, said her union has been working to let Canadians know about the impact of the government’s cuts to the public service.
“We have started to work a lot on the ground, to remind the Canadian public about the impact of those attacks on democracy,” she replied when asked how to get rid of the Harper government.
The comments came during a panel to discuss the Conservative government’s attacks on Canada’s labor movement – everything from cutting unionized public service jobs to adopting legislation to force unions to make public how they spend members dues and changing the rules regarding essential services in the lead up to negotiations to renew public service labor agreements.
But while a number of measures impact all labor unions, the unions that have felt the brunt of the government’s actions are the those that represent Canada’s federal government public servants.
Federal public servants are stressed out and afraid of losing their jobs, Woods told the audience.
“There is really a climate of fear. There is also a sentiment that ‘I’m lucky to have a job, I am in competition with my colleagues for the same positions so I don’t want to express my frustration with management.”
Woods said public servants are being watched and their e-mails are being monitored. Union members are afraid to be seen supporting the union.
Public servants don’t feel that the government respects them and stress in the workplace is up, Woods said.
“Think about it. These people are the people who have to implement policies with which they don’t necessarily agree. To tell someone ‘I can’t help you with your tax return – you’re going to have to call a 1-800 number when for years I served people at the counter. To tell a veteran, yes the office in your region is going to close but you can download an app to help you with your services. It really puts people in a situation of distress – we see it.”
Lemelin described what he sees as collusion between the Harper government and Canada Post, saying the service cuts they are trying to impose without debate will elimate 6,000 to 8,000 jobs. Lemelin predicted the government will move in the future to completely privatize Canada Post.
While Lemelin talked about the importance of fighting the cuts, he said unions also have to offer hope and come forward with positive proposals and a vision for the future.
Original Article
Source: ipolitics.ca/
Author: Elizabeth Thompson
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