Using What Is Legal Against What Is Just Shows Contempt for Rule of Law
- Peggy Morton -
Workers stand as one against Bill 9 in Alberta legislature rotunda.
Workers and leaders of the unions representing about
180,000 public sector workers in Alberta stood as one at the
legislature as Bill 9, the Public Sector Wage Arbitration Deferral
Act bill received first reading. As soon as the bill had passed
First Reading, they rallied in the rotunda of the legislature where a
press conference took
place. Present were the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE),
Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA), Canadian Union of Public Employees
(CUPE), Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), and United
Nurses Association (UNA) together with the Alberta Federation of Labour
(AFL).
 Workers filled the rotunda
at the legislature, shouting So, So, So, Solidarity! Speakers condemned
the government's assault on the rights of workers, including the right
to collectively negotiate their collective agreements, and made it
clear that working people will not accept this assault.
Gil McGowan, President of the Alberta Federation of
Labour called Bill 9 a "bully bill." "They are using the power of their
majority in government to break legally-binding contracts. If they did
this to the contracts of businesses who supply goods and services to
government, the business community would be up in arms. But this is
exactly
what they're doing to hundreds of thousands of nurses, teachers and
other public sector workers. It would be unfair, inappropriate and
illegal if they were doing it to businesses and it's unfair,
inappropriate and illegal now that they're doing [it] to working
people."
UNA President Heather Smith said that the level of
interference in collective bargaining in this bill goes further than
anything done by the Klein Government in the mid-1990s. "In the
history of our union, it is the biggest betrayal by government we have
ever seen in terms of reaching in and using the power of legislation to
alter the terms and
conditions, and agreed upon, terms of our contract," she said.
HSAA President Mike Parker said, "If I can't guarantee
the stability of a collective agreement for my membership, then I don't
think I can guarantee labour peace for this province."
ATA president Greg Jeffery, called the bill an affront
to his members, and a heavy-handed abuse of power that significantly
erodes trust between the government and its public servants. "These
agreements were reached in good faith, and now the government is using
its highest powers to unilaterally change the terms of the agreement.
In the
business world, if a contract was blatantly ignored like this, you
would never do business with that company again." He called on the
government to withdraw the bill.
"Six of the last seven years teachers have accepted a
zero-per cent increase," he said. "There was hope for this arbitration
and to pull that hope away from Alberta's teachers especially at this
time of year is tragic," he said.
Members of AUPE picket in Lac La Biche, June 15, 2019, against Bill 9.
AUPE president Guy Smith called the bill an "egregious
attack" and explained that the union is supposed to be ramping up
negotiations that will impact 70,000 members. Arbitration for AUPE
government services, Alberta Health services nursing care and general
support services began on June 11 and is now cancelled. Bargaining
units for
post-secondary education and government boards and agencies are also
scheduled to begin arbitration. "This is authoritarian, this is
ideological and it does nothing but create labour unrest," Smith said.
He said that workers are ready to take action in response to the
government's violation of their rights. "The level of anger amongst our
members is
something I haven't seen in years," he said.
The unions indicated that they will be meeting together
in the days ahead to plan their course of action. As well, preparations
are already underway to consider their legal options.
The AUPE Facebook page has a list of actions that people
can take now. They include:
Contact Alberta's Labour Minister and let him know a
deal's a deal. Using legislation to break the terms of a negotiated
collective agreement isn't bargaining. It's bullying.
- By phone:
Call Labour Minister Jason Copping at 780-638-9400 and call Finance
Minister Travis Toews at 780-415-4855.
- By email: Email Labour Minister Jason Copping at
labour.minister@gov.ab.ca and Finance Minister Travis Toews
tbf.minister@gov.ab.ca.
- On
Twitter: Tweet Labour Minister Jason Copping @JasonCoppingMLA and the
United Conservative Party @Alberta_UCP. Use hashtag #ableg
Talk to your coworkers: Ask them how they feel about
this illegal attack [on] your rights, your wages and your jobs. Talk
about what you're prepared to do to
take action. Show them how to join the fight.
Stay tuned: We'll be in touch as the situation
develops with more news and more opportunities to have your voices
heard!
Workers across Alberta and Canada should provide their
full support in this fight which clearly reveals that the government is
trying to get away with doing unacceptable things by making things
legal, which is unjust and in contempt of what is meant by Rule of Law.
Speak with your co-workers about what is at stake and to join in
actions to demand that the Alberta and other governments cease and
desist from their unacceptable assault on rights. Alberta Bill 9
must be withdrawn!
Picket against Bill 9 in Wetaskiwin, June 14, 2019.
This article was published in
Number 23 - June 20, 2019
Article Link:
Using What Is Legal Against What Is Just Shows Contempt for Rule of Law - Peggy Morton
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
|
