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Unifor National President Jerry Dias told Ontario Regional Council this morning that it is imperative that the labour movement and Unifor in particular, play a central role in the issues facing our country, including climate change.
“The world is changing, my friends. There are no jobs on a dead plant,” Dias said.
Dias was part of a labour delegation to the recent Paris climate change talks, and said Unifor will continue to play a key role in the debate and any changes made to address the issue.
“If there is going to be a transition, then we are going to be part of the discussion to make sure that none of our members are left behind,” Dias said.
The recent federal election showed how important Unifor is to the most important debates in the country, pointing out that 14 Conservative MPs were defeated in auto communities on October 19 in the face of Unifor’s critique of the Trans Pacific Partnership and its impact on the auto industry.
“October 19 was a pivotal point for labour, for our union and for our country,” he said.
If the Harper Government had been re-elected, the attack on labour and Canadian social programs would have continued. But instead of talking about restricting the rights of labour and cutting social programs, we are today talking about labour law reform and improving the lives of working people.
“We can take some credit for that,” Dias said.
Across Canada, he said, Unifor’s economic analysis that the Harper Government had the worst record since the Second World War became a central part of the election debate.
Despite past successes, he said, there is much work left to do and Unifor will work to ensure the new federal government improves the lives of all working people throughout its mandate, and gives real support to manufacturing.
“We need to ensure that 2016 contains more victories, and we’re going to do it together.”
