Railway Workers Demand That All Workers' Rights Be Strengthened During the PandemicThe Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) issued a press release on April 23 in which it clearly stated that workers' rights must be strengthened during the pandemic, not weakened.
"Workers know that if we wait until the science is certain before implementing protections, many workers will pay the price. That's why unions fight for the precautionary principle, which maintains that the absence of scientific certainty should not prevent prudent actions that may reduce risk. "As the world has faced this new and unknown contagion called COVID-19, governments and employers should be outfitting workers with all available protections, until the source of transmission is determined -- not the other way around," the press release reads. On the occasion of the Day of Mourning, the TCRC is asking workers that in addition to remembrance, workers must all take this opportunity to renew their commitment to health and safety and continue the fight to end these senseless tragedies. The communiqué notes that the global COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way people live and work. It adds that while everyone is affected by the crisis, workers are on the front line. Many are doing critical work without the protection they need to keep themselves safe. Many workers, including railway workers, have been deemed essential and go to work every day so that others can stay home, as people do everything they can to stop the pandemic.
"Those three basic rights are: "1. Right to know about the hazards in their workplace and receive the training they need to be able to do their jobs safely. "2. Right to participate in decisions that could affect their health and safety. "3. Right to refuse work that could endanger their health and safety or that of others. The right to refuse is not the first step to protect workers. This is a serious, sometimes necessary, step that no worker takes lightly." The communiqué ends by pointing out that although the law stipulates that employers must provide protection from danger and hazards arising out of, linked with or occurring in the course of employment, railway workers need to ensure their personal safety is protected by considering the potential consequences in every action and decision they make both on the job and at home. (Photos: WF, Teamsters 419)
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"We owe it to all
workers to make sure they have the protections and supports to work
safely. COVID-19 doesn't mean we weaken those rights -- it means we
strengthen them," the TCRC said.
The TCRC demands
that basic rights at work, that are officially protected in health and
safety statutes in every jurisdiction in Canada, be defended: