Hay River municipal union leader supports QEC strikers

I would like to take the opportunity to lend support to our brothers and sisters of the Nunavut Employees Union currently under strike action against the Qulliq Energy Corp.

As a proud union member I wanted to point out some of the incredible benefits that have been afforded workers over the years by negotiations between the federal government (including territorial and provincial governments) and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (including components):

• 1969 – Sick leave is amended to include injury-on-duty leave.

• 1973 – Public service members gain the right to carry over vacation leave.

• 1975 – Women acquire equal pension benefits.

• 1988 – PSAC wins 100 per cent employer payment of dental plan premiums.

• 1990 – PSAC wins redefinition of “spouse” to include same-sex relationships in its agreement with the Yukon government.

• 1998 – The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal awards pay equity to PSAC’s female dominated bargaining units in the federal public service. PSAC negotiates a settlement worth $3 billion for more than 200,000 current and former members.

A report in the July 20, 2015 issue of Maclean’s magazine showed that 6.4 million retirees in Canada account for nearly one fifth of the population.

Of those numbers, 22 per cent of private sector retirees reported difficulty in making ends meet. This figure is nearly twice that of public sector retirees.

It is no secret that Stephen Harper’s Conservative government is attacking public sector workers and attempting to abolish fair negotiating practices with public sector unions. As the Maclean’s report states it is also the goal of the Harper Conservatives to ensure that our retirees struggle to make ends meet and have a poorer quality of life after a career of padding government coffers through taxation.

It was a great sign of respect and dignity that Polar Ice Expeditions pulled its workers out of any operations involving Qulliq Energy Corp.

Owner Gary Guy should be commended for recognizing the rights of striking workers trying to negotiate fair collective agreements.

It’s too bad the same cannot be said of our striking brothers and sisters in Hay River, NWT who have now been on strike for six months against an employer that is encouraging replacement workers and openly threatening lay-offs once a collective agreement has been ratified.

I applaud the Union of Northern Workers in holding steadfast in its resolve to ensure a return to work agreement is signed prior to any ratification.

This is not only common practice, but necessary to ensure that the striking employees have a job to return to upon any agreement being ratified.

I wish the Nunavut Employees Union and its members luck and hope that this work action can be resolved expeditiously and respectfully.

Jason Card
President Local 9
Union of Northern Workers

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