Unions Speak Out in Defence of Striking Workers  
Many unions
expressed their solidarity with striking Alberta hospital workers, who
walked out to demand the United Conservative Party (UCP) government
withdraw the 11,000 layoffs it announced, and joined the workers on the
picket lines. Workers'
Forum is providing excerpts from some of the messages of
support. Alberta Teachers' Association
"When the government and Alberta Health Services decided to
cut 11,000 jobs -- in the middle of a pandemic -- they left these
workers with no other choice. These heroes, at their own personal risk,
have been standing up for us and fighting the pandemic head-on, and
they deserve support and encouragement instead of disrespect and the
threats of job losses. We stand with them," said Jason Schilling,
President of the Alberta Teachers' Association. He also encouraged
teachers to visit the picket lines. Canadian
Union of Postal Workers
"The Canadian
Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) stands in solidarity with striking
health care workers and against the anti-labour government of Jason
Kenney and its bid to deeply slash jobs, erode working conditions, and
trample union rights. In the midst of the worst pandemic in a century,
health workers have tirelessly provided the care needed to the Alberta
population. The Kenney government's plans to eliminate 11,000 unionized
health care positions, outsourcing them to the private sector, will
have the opposite effect, leaving Albertans more vulnerable, and
crippling an already fragile economy," the statement from CUPW said.
"CUPW calls on the labour movement to stand firm against
neo-liberal bullying and anti-union governments and continue to mount a
robust and coordinated response in the face of such threats."
Canadian Union of Public Employees "CUPE
is in full support of Alberta health care workers who are protesting
their loss of jobs at the hands of the Kenney government. The people
who work in health care are the heroes of the pandemic. They risk their
own health to keep the rest of us safe. These workers are being
attacked by Jason Kenney who wants to fire them, and then rehire some
of them into lower paying jobs after stripping them of their pension
plan. "Alberta Health care workers have been
through this before. Previous conservative governments have tried this
routine only to admit it caused too much chaos and disruption. And that
was when there wasn't a pandemic. Jason Kenney needs to stand down.
Jason Kenney needs to cancel his plan to fire 11,000 health care
workers. Click
here to tell Jason Kenney to protect these workers!"
Health Sciences Association of Alberta
"HSAA supports AUPE workers who are standing up against
Kenney's health care cuts that were heartlessly announced in the midst
of this pandemic," said Mike Parker, President of the Health Sciences
Association of Alberta. "Health care workers have
been working tirelessly to keep Albertans safe and they have been
rewarded with threats to their jobs by a government that is hell-bent
on ripping apart our public health care system. The blame for any
disruption to patient care that may occur today needs to land squarely
at the feet of Jason Kenney and the UCP," Parker added.
United Nurses of Alberta
Many nurses
joined the picket lines during their breaks, and United Nurses of
Alberta (UNA) issued a statement saying, "UNA supports the health care
workers who are defending the principle of public health care and
opposing the efforts of the Kenney government to undermine the public
health care system and destroy thousands of jobs. UNA members will not
do the work of other union members. [...] "The
Government of Alberta has created this crisis in the midst of a global
pandemic when it should be supporting health care workers who are
risking their lives to keep Albertans safe," the UNA said.
Unifor
Unifor issued a statement
giving its full support to the striking hospital workers. "In his brief
time in office, Jason Kenney has criminalized dissent, imported the
worst of American labour law, and made devastating cutbacks to public
services during a pandemic. He must be stopped," said Gavin McGarrigle,
Unifor Western Regional Director. "Unifor stands in solidarity with all
of the health care workers standing up for their jobs and for public
services." United Food and Commercial Workers
Union Local 401
"Frontline hospital
workers are taking action in protest against injustice and massive cuts
to public health care that will impact all Albertans. As Alberta's
union for food workers, the struggle of frontline health care workers
during this pandemic is a struggle with which we empathize and
understand. "The right of workers to strike and
withdraw labour in protest is the essential ingredient of a democratic
society, and workers have always found ways of confronting injustice in
the ways that they find most effective. "It has
been reported that striking workers are calling for job security
against the outsourcing of their jobs to the private sector, addressing
short-staffing issues, stopping the privatization of Alberta's public
health care system, and no retaliation for taking a stand in defence of
public health care. Their demands are about protecting the public
interest during the pandemic, and once again, we see workers
courageously leading the charge," UFCW Local 401 President Thomas Hesse
said. 
This article was published in
Number 75 - November 5, 2020
Article Link:
Unions Speak Out in Defence of Striking Workers
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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