Alberta Public Sector Workers Continue to Build Resistance to Kenney's Wrecking Ball
- Peggy Morton -
Alberta nurses noon-hour rally in
Claresholm, January 21, 2020.
Noon-hour rallies were held in Edmonton,
Lethbridge and Claresholm during the week of
January 20, where health care and other public
sector workers were joined by workers from other
unions and members of their community. They
spoke out against the government's threats to
privatize large sectors of public services, and
demanded that the government improve, not wreck,
health care and other public services. They also
expressed their resounding No! to
attacks on their wages and working conditions.
 The UCP
government has said it will reduce the number of
workers in the public sector by more than seven
per cent by 2023. In late November, the
government sent letters to the unions
representing public sector workers saying that
it is looking at contracting out a wide swath of
public services, from ambulance services and
public medical labs to hospital housekeeping and
laundry services, medical transcription, home
care nursing, and jobs in social and community
services. This would be a potential loss of
6,400 to 7,400 unionized public-sector jobs by
2023, including between 3,900 and 4,900 in
health care.
In a recent interview with CTV Edmonton,
Kenney stated, "Nobody is being laid off now,
let's be clear about that. These are prospective
reductions in employment levels over four years
if we can't find other savings."
The intent of such statements seems clear.
Kenney is suggesting that privatization is a
form of "saving money" and that if the workers
submit to the intensified assault on their wages
and working conditions, thus "saving money," he
might spare public services from his
privatization wrecking ball.
The working people of Alberta have been down
this road before, and learned through bitter
experience that it is fraud and blackmail from
start to finish. The workers are pointing out
that the government is serving big business with
its threats to privatize. Privatization has
nothing to do with "saving money" and it never
did. It is a way of transferring more of the
wealth created by the workers and claimed by
governments into the hands of rich private
interests. Privatization of public services
carried out during the Klein years actually
reduced government revenues, as the added-value
created by workers was handed over to private
interests (for example registry offices and
liquor stores). The Klein government then used
falling revenues as a pretext to step up the
assault on public services and the workers who
deliver them.
Through their pickets, the workers are taking
the lead to unite their own ranks and to develop
public opinion for a pro-social program
which defends the rights of all. In opposition
to the aim of maximum profit for the financial
oligarchy, a new direction for the economy to
serve the needs of the people is needed. Workers'
Forum calls on the working people to
discuss with their peers what is at stake, and
to join the pickets and rallies in their
communities.
Health care workers picket in the Peace River
region against cuts, January 22, 2020.
This article was published in
Number 3 - January 29, 2020
Article Link:
Alberta Public Sector Workers Continue to Build Resistance to Kenney's Wrecking Ball - Peggy Morton
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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