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SHORTT THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Progressing on pay equity
@ __— The Quebec Federation of

Labour is pushing the
provincial Pay Equity

FTO Commission for more
progress, especially in smaller work-
places. OFL Secretary General René
Roy says progress is being made,
even though there are hundreds of
complaints still before the commis-
sioner. Women have received pay
equity increases ranging from 85
cents per hour to $7-8 or more in
some cases. “We commend the QFL
for fighting for equal pay for work of
equal value,” says |WA second VP
Norm Rivard.

IWA asks for labour changes
The IWA made a mid-September
submission to the Alberta MLA
Review Committee on the province's
labour code, sup-
L€i. porting the Alberta
Fed's positions and
also proposing that
the government put in automatic
certification procedures when a
majority sign union cards, add strict
time-limits between vote applica-
tions and votes, institute first collec-
tive agreement arbitration, assure
collective bargaining and the right
to strike for all workers, and ban the
use of scabs.

Action plan gets approval

B.C. Federation of Labour afflilates
okayed an action plant to combat

the Campbell

Liberals at their con-
BCFED

vention in late
November. Among
other things, the
resolution calls for
workers to defend their rights to
union representation and collective
bargaining, advance progressive
economic alternatives, defend public
services, fight for improvements to
health care and stops its privatiza-
tion, improve access and quality to
public education, improve union
communication efforts at the work-
place and community levels and
increase pressure on the Liberals to
back off and reverse their destruc-

= cc Fr

ON NOVEMBER 12 the
Canadian Labour
. Congress launched a new
and valuable tool to help
workers in the non-union
work world to get to know their rights.
Now workers can log on to
WorkRights.ca to find out about
human rights, work time, getting paid
properly, losing a job, taking time off,
health and safety issues and how to
make a complaint. There is also a sec-
tion on salary comparisons between
union and non-union workers in full
and part-time evironments.
It’s a user-friendly website that has
both official languages.
“There are 14 work regimes in this
country, (and) people often do not

tive policies.

PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA

= The non-union work world and the Canadian public now has a place to
get comprehensive information on workplace rights.

CLC launches WorkRights.ca website

know what are their vacation entitle-
ments, or what are the rules on over-
time,” says national CLC president Ken
Georgetti. “Now, with WorkRights.ca,
they can all be found in one place, in an
easy-to-grasp format. Today’s workers,
much like today’s consumers, have
been abandoned by governments that
used to be on their side. Unless there’s
a union around to help workers come
together and protect one another, they
are very much on their own.
Governments trust employers to pro-
tect workers’ rights. We don’t.”

“It’s great that the CLC has put the
site together,” says national IWA presi-
dent Dave Haggard. “There’s a lot of
valuable information that can be
accessed easily. It’s a good website for

our members to visit as well. Despite
the fact that our collective agreements
give us a better work life, it is good for
us to be in touch with all of the issues
that effect the non-union work world as
well. When we see all the problems that
non-union workers face, it can remind
us of the gains that trade unions have
made for working people.”

The website contains a wide range of
data from employment laws and regu-
lations in Canada’s 10 provinces and 3
territories. It also covers federal laws
and regulations.

“Working people have to know that
they have rights that are protected by
law, even in the most right wing of
provinces like Alberta, Ontario and the
Maritime jurisdictions,” adds Brother
Haggard. “In the non-union work
world, workers have the extra load of
looking out for themselves to ensure
that they are treated correctly by the
law. It’s tougher because they don’t
have a union to stick up for them. This
website should go a long way into help-
ing those workers out.”

The Health and Safety part of the
website contains valuable information
on topics including the Right to Refuse
unsafe work, the right to participate as
a worker rep on issues and decisions
affecting health and safety in the work-
place and the right to know about work-
place hazards.

“These are all rights that the labour
movement has been championing for
decades,” says retiring TWA national
first vice president Neil Menard.
“Everybody in all workplaces, must be
made aware of their rights in these
areas. We're glad to see the Congress
include this in their new website.”

Importantly, the website has a sec-
tion called “Workers’ Forum” which
operates as a message board.

Workers are encouraged to bring up
new issues and exchange information
with each other.

“When we see what’s happening in
this country, we see minimum wages
staying low and being driven down in
B.C. and employment standards, cover-
ing non-union workers being watered
down,” adds Haggard. “This just gives
the IWA more determination to organ-
ize the unorganized.”

The CLC represents about 2.5 mil-
lion Canadian workers in the provinces
and territories.

Saskatchewan Federation
of Labour supports IWA

IWA Local 1-184 delegates were
present at the SFL convention in
Regina from October 30-November 2
to seek support from fellow dele-
gates on the softwood lumber bat-
tle. “We spoke out loud and clear

against the U.S. tariffs and we
received some very strong support
on the issue from the
local president Paul
Hallen. The conven-
ff tion also played the
video entitled
duced by IWA Local 1-425.
Highlights included support for a
“Labour to Neighbour” program
which will identify key and common

convention,” says
“Paying the Price,” which was pro-
political issues for workers.

Unions meet in Memramcook
Affiliates of the New Brunswick
Federation of Labour got together in
Memramcook, near Moncton, on
September 12 and 13 to discuss the
requirement for first contract legisla-
tion and the need to educate work-
ers on building unions and respect-
ing picket lines in the province.
Representing IWA Local 306 was
financial secretary

Fee. John Richards who
Ye joined reps from the
\ (eg) CUPE, USWA, CAW,

UFCW, PSAC, Bakery
Workers and others.
“It was good to meet and discuss
these issues because we have been
dealing with them head on as a
local union for some time,” says
Brother Richard.

Strategy Conference held

In early November the Manitoba
Federation of Labour held a strategy
session in Gimli to
@ help develop action
IAFL proposals for the
provincial labour
body. Topics dis-
cussed included
organizing and out-
reach strategies for Manitoba youth
and aboriginal workers.
“Manitoba workplaces are evolving
and we have to recognize and work
with that change,” says Local 324
president Judy Anderson. Winnipeg
Local 830 president Jack Alexander
says that the MFL will review the
recommendations. “They will be
looked at in more detail at next
year’s fed convention,” he says.

OFL promotes pension fight
and Peoples’ Charter
The Ontario
Federation of
Labour is taking on
the goverment

over Bill 198, which
OFL/FTO intends to allow
companies to dip into private pen-
sion plan surpluses. Former OFL vice
president and national IWA VP Wilf
McIntyre says that most of the
union’s plans are the money-pur-
chase type and would be exempt but
that some plans could be affected.
“It's important to protect against the
raiding of pension funds,” he says.
Brother McIntyre says |WA members
will be hearing more about the
People’s Charter, launched by the
OFL and community activists, in the-
weeks ahead. The charter will focus
debate on how to rebuild Ontario.

16 | THE ALLIED WORKER DECEMBER 2002