This Labour Day, we celebrate the power of our solidarity. PSAC has achieved some important wins this past year, which were the result of sustained member activism. Last October, the decade of Harper Conservative rule came to an end. Our members came together and mobilized against the Conservatives’ irresponsible cuts to Canada’s public services. We have been promised respect from the new Prime Minister, and we intend to hold him to his promise.
The positive resolution of our long-standing pay equity complaint for Statistical Survey Operations members means compensation for thousands of current and former SSO members, whose work has historically been undervalued and precarious. PSAC also won a significant grievance regarding salary protection for members transferred into the core public service from separate agencies.
In June, PSAC secured written confirmation that portions of the former Bill C-4 would not apply to our current round of Treasury Board negotiations. This commitment reversed changes made by the Conservative government that restricted our constitutionally protected bargaining and right to strike.
As we take time to celebrate the gains our movement has achieved, we must renew our resolve to not only fight for better working conditions today, but also fairness for future generations of workers.
More and more young workers are finding themselves in short-term, contract jobs. This precarious work often means jobs without fair wages and benefits – workplaces without proper health and safety protections. This is not the future we want for the next generation of Canadian workers.
PSAC and the labour movement are fighting back against precarious employment and pushing the federal and provincial governments to create the conditions that create good jobs. Expanding the CPP/QPP, achieving a $15 minimum wage, fighting the privatization of our public services, and empowering young workers in our unions are all part of labour’s efforts to ensure fairness for the future.
To our members who are dealing with the on-going problems of the federal government’s new Phoenix pay system: rest assured that your union is hard at work on your behalf. We are working with the federal government to fix Phoenix and get you the compensation you deserve. The Government of Canada owes their employees an apology, as well as up-to-date information on the progress of the resolution.
Together we will succeed.
In Solidarity,
Robyn Benson