Ewan noun D THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

Collective bargaining peaceful

@ __|n December Quebec
Federation of Labour
secretary-general Rene Roy
pointed out that only 5.5 per
cent of labour negotiations are
effected by strikes or lock outs.
Meanwhile over 80 per cent of
collective agreements signed in /a
belle province in 2003 where done
without third party intervention.
Conciliation was used in 17 per cent
of cases. In other words, collective is
working in Quebec.

AFL warns about fake unions
Beware of phoney unions, says
Alberta Federation of Labour presi-
dent Kerry Barrett. “Dummy” or “rat”
unions are continually being estab-

lished in the province
to prevent the forma-
tion of real unions
that represent the
interests of workers. They negotiate
“sweet deals” with employers on a
voluntary basis. While company
unions are an issue that the AFL is
dealing with, groups like the Christian
Labour Alliance of Canada (CLAC)
are very similar, negotiating employ-
er-friendly agreements without input
from workers.

Fed supports Steelworkers
on Weyerhaeuser resolution
Delegates to this year’s B.C. Federation
of Labour convention, held in late
November and early December, came
out in strong support of an emergency
resolution introduced to help the
Steelworkers in our battle with the
Weyerhaeuser corporation. The adopt-
ed resolution opposes
the company’s impo-
sition of dangerous
shifts in the logging

BCFED sector, calls on the

provincial government to demand that
companies invest in resource-depen-
dent communities, opposes the exports
of raw logs and supports the union in
its strategic campaign against Weyco.

Part-timers need protection
too says Saskatchewan Fed
The Saskatchewan Federation of
Labour says the NDP government
must finally proclaim in law the “Most
Available Hours” amendment passed
at the spring session of the provincial
legislature over ten years ago. Back in
1994 there was widespread consulta-
tion with both business groups and
labour organizations
on the legislation. The
law requires that if
employers offer their
( workers more hours of
work, those opportuni-
ties be alloted to qualified part-timers
based on seniority. The law would
allow the workers to decline the addi-
tional hours. Fed president Larry
Hubich says the law would allow
employees to work towards full-time
work, rather that having two or three
part-time jobs which may be miles
apart with different employers.

IN ITS ANNUAL report

card on employment

- trends in Canada and their
impact on living stan-

dards, entitled “Is Your

Work Working for You,” the Canadian
Labour Congress says there have been
some minor improvements in the lot of
working Canadians since last year’s
report but that there is much progress
yet to be made. The country’s “official”
unemployment rate dropped to 6.1 per
cent from 6.4 per cent in 2003, (the
lowest national rate since 2000) while
the “broad unemployment rate,”
known as the “unofficial” rate, dropped
to 10.1 per cent from 11.3 per cent a year
earlier. There were signficant job gains

PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA.

In Canada there have been some improvements to employment levels.

Work is working better for some

in the public sector and the construc-
tion sector, where there are relatively
high levels of unionization. A move to
more permanent work, both full and
part-time, were positive factors.

But the growth in unionization rates
across the country appear to have
stopped, underscoring that collective
agrement gains, which bring up the
standards for all workers in the econo-
my, are not as great as they should be
throughout the workforce.

All of this has taken place despite the
increase in the value of the Canadian
dollar versus the American greenback
and numerous trade disputes such as
the softwood lumber battle with the
Unites States and the American block-

ade against cattle exports.

The country’s employment insur-
ance system is still failing the joblesss.
Only 38 per cent of jobless Canadians
are eligible — failing especially women
and young workers under 25.

Real wages (the hourly wages adjust-
ed to account for changes in the cost of
living) climbed by 1.4 per cent, I
because working women  acro:
Canada saw their wages grow by 2.5 per
cent. But 10.6 per cent of adults over
the age of 25 earned less than $9.65 per
hour, which is the low income thresh-
old. That is a .1 per cent increase from
2003. And despite higher average wage
increases, a greater percentage of
women workers (15.6 per cent)
remained mired under the poverty
threshold.

The report notes that in 2004,
women earned, on average, 83.2 per
cent of what male workers earned, an
improvement of 1.4 per cent. But, at the
same time, inequality in earnings (pay
equity) and lower wages for young
workers, did not improve over the pre-
vious year.

It also notes that fewer workers were
afraid of losing their jobs this year (22
per cent versus 24 per cent in 2003).
But most of those who have a house-
hold income of under $40,000, believe
they may lose their jobs in the next two
years. Younger workers still have a
greater fear of losing their jobs and suf-
fered from higher unemployment
rates. Nearly 14 per cent of Canadians
under 25 were jobless.

On job quality, there has been a
reduction in the total percentage of
workers who put in over 50 hours a
week (in the late gos) that exceeded 16
per cent.

All in all, the report card marks a
shift in the right direction.

States the report: “Even though the
progress is small, so much so that the
average working family will not have
noticed, it is significant. It is also the
result of a number of factors, not the
least of which is the Bank of Canada’s
decision to maintain low interest rates.”

Most importantly, the report notes,

the work done by unions on issues like
pay equity and gender equality, have

greatly helped women make ere

gains in the workforce.

NB Fed supports pay equity bill
In a November submission to public
hearings on Bill 77 - Pay Equity Law, the
New Brunswick Federation of Labour,
which represents some
35,000 members, said
the province's women
earn 18 per cent less
than their male counter-
part for doing the same
work. The Fed urged
the rapid adoption of the new bill which
includes the establishment of joint
labour-managment committees to imple-
ment and maintain pay equity programs,
the provision of education for workers
and employers and create an indepen-
dent commission to ensure the law is
upheld. The submission says the fact
that public hearings are still being held in
2004, is evidence in itself that voluntary
measures have not worked.

Fed helps out voluntary sectors
The Manitoba Federation of Labour is
working to connect volunteers with the
many voluntary and non-profit sector
organizations

@ throughout the
Y / province, by entering
p 4. FL. into a partnership
yf with the Manitoba
—_ Voluntary Initiative

program. There are
some 8,800 formally-structured organi-
zations and groups in the province that
are faced with challenges such a rais-
ing funds, recruiting volunteers and
adapting to changes in the information
age. The Fed has stated its commit-
ment to work with other partners in
order to strengthen and sustain the
sector for the benefit of all Manitobans.
For more information about the initia-
tive: www.voluntarysector.mb.ca

OFL calls for fair organizing rules
Ontario Federation of Labour presi-
dent Wayne Samuelson says that
changes recently introduced to the
Ontario Labour
» Relations Act, re-
establishing the
card-based certifica-
cae tion system for the
OFL/FTO construction sector,
must be extended to all workers in the
province. “Many, many sectors and
thousands of people struggle to make
a living in the part-time and contin-
gent workforce,” says Brother
Samuelson. “They work shift work,
contract work and often more than
one job. The exclusion of the majority
of workers from the card-based sys-
tem hurts women and new Canadians
the most. Contingent workers have
few basic rights and no protection.”

18 | THE ALLIED WORKER

SEPTEMBER 2004

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