Minister Blaney responds to armoured car workers

A rally of nearly 50 armoured car workers and supporters in Levis, Quebec has helped bring results in a year-long campaign. 

The May 24 rally outside the constituency office of Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney has caught the attention of the minister, who shortly after the rally, committed, via a media spokesperson, to meet with the union over its concerns around the lack of safety standards in the armoured car industry. A meeting is now set up between Blaney's office and Unifor representatives for June 5. Previously, the minister had refused to meet with Unifor.

“When we get a call or a message, how do we make sure we don’t forget it? We write it down on a piece of paper, “explained Martin Lambert, Unifor Quebec City area director. “So we took that piece of paper and we chained it to the Minister’s door on Saturday to make sure that he and his staff take these messages and return our calls.” Lambert organized dozens of Unifor members in Quebec to participate in the rally in solidarity with armoured car workers and brought a giant post-it for Blaney’s office.

 Unifor is calling on federal lawmakers to develop a comprehensive regulatory framework - to enhance safety and prevent crime by establishing minimum standards in employee training, vehicle specifications, crew compliments and safety equipment requirements.

 “Unifor has once again demonstrated that our mobilization and our solidarity can bring about change,” said André Desjardins, president of Unifor Local 4266, representing Brinks employees in Ottawa. “We will now pursue our efforts with the Minister to make sure he understands our situation.”

Since 2000, there have been more than 70 attacks on armoured vehicles – with three in the past year, including one involving a death in Longueuil, Quebec on February 1.

Unifor represents 2,000 members in the armoured car and secure logistics industry, employed largely by Brinks and G4S. For more information on the campaign, please visit: http://www.unifor.org/en/take-action/campaigns/keep-workers-safe-their-cargo