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TORONTO, May 9, 2015 /CNW/ - Unifor has condemned Bill C-59's blatant attacks on collective bargaining rights of workers in the federal public service.
The Budget Implementation Act, tabled earlier this week, authorizes the Treasury Board to modify collective agreements to remove sick leave and impose a short and long term disability plan outside of collective agreements. The Bill will violate the Public Service Labour Relations Act.
"With the strike of a pen the Harper Conservative government is trashing the collective bargaining rights of public service workers," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. "This is a government that not only has zero respect for workers, but apparently zero respect for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," Dias said. He noted that the Supreme Court has established the right to collective bargaining as a Charter right.
Unifor members impacted will include workers in the Coast Guard, Air Traffic Controllers and printers.
"Unifor will not stand by and allow our members' rights to be squashed by the Harper Conservatives," Dias said. The union has indicated it will be working with other unions with members in the public service to protect their collective bargaining rights.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 305,000 workers. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union merged.
SOURCE Unifor
