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EDMONTON, April 14, 2016 /CNW/ - Canada's largest union in the energy sector says that the NDP government has found the right balance between maintaining core social services and investing in infrastructure that will help Alberta grow.
"The most important thing is to make sure that government programs are there when Albertans need them," said Jerry Dias, Unifor's National President. "We commend the Premier and her government for showing the strength to do the right thing and protect Albertans."
Unifor says that Premier Rachel Notley kept her promise to stop the extreme cuts introduced under Jim Prentice. The Alberta NDP's second budget rejects austerity and aims to boost job creation with targeted investments in a variety of capital spending projects.
"Our communities depend on excellent schools, hospitals, and other public services. It makes perfect sense to shield those programs when thousands of Albertans are dealing with unemployment and retraining," said Joie Warnock, Unifor's Western Director. "Rachel Notley has shown real leadership by finding ways to protect the most vulnerable in this budget."
The budget pledges to support 380,000 children with the Alberta Child Benefit and the Enhanced Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit. Training in the province received a $25-million boost.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 310,000 workers. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions merged.
SOURCE Unifor
