Health and Safety

The Government of Canada became the 25th country to ratify the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 190, or C190, which is a framework of global standards aimed at eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work. This is an important milestone in our union’s mission to create workplaces and communities free from violence, harassment, and discrimination.

Nikki Moffat
Chief Human Resources Officer and Executive Vice President
Corporate Services
BCE and Bell

Dear Ms. Moffat,

In September 2010, Bell Let’s Talk began a new conversation about Canada’s mental health with the public. At the time, many people were not openly discussing living with mental illness.

Millions of Canadians, including leading personalities, engaged in an open discussion about mental illness, offering new ideas and hope for those who struggle, with numbers growing every year.

On World Toilet Day, November 19, Unifor renews its call for employers and governments to ensure all workers have access to safe sanitation at work.

“Safe sanitation at work is about dignity,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President and ITF Board Member., “Workers and workplaces are diverse, so every employer must take steps to ensure sanitation facilities are clean, appropriate and safe to meet the individual needs of workers.”

On the heels of the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association (Nl-FHSA) Safety Symposium last week and the arrival of Minister Joyce Murray in St. John’s this week, the FFAW’s Inshore Council is reiterating the need for increased search and rescue resources in Labrador. 

Community and health care activists rallied outside of the Manitoba legislature on October 28, 2022 to launch the union’s “Respect Us. Protect Us. Pay Us.” campaign to improve the working conditions and wages of Association for Community Living (ACL) workers.

“Low provincial funding results in low wages. It’s not surprising that many staff are leaving to take better paying jobs that don’t have the kind of hours and stress related to community care,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director.

A Unifor member of Local 1090 on a legal picket line at Casino Woodbine was struck deliberately by a car late on the evening of July 31, 2022.

Members of Unifor Local 1090 have been on strike at Great Canadian Gaming Corporation’s Pickering Casino Resort and Ajax Casino since Saturday, July 23, 2022 fighting for wage increases and to reduce the employer’s reliance on a precarious part-time workforce. 

In Canada, workers locked out or on strike may picket other sites owned by the employer, which is why a legal picket line was in place at Casino Woodbine.

Unifor member Paul Totten died on the job on Monday, June 13, 2022 in Tillsonburg, Ontario where he worked as a technician for Bell Technical Solutions (BTS).   

“Thoughts and deepest sympathies to Brother Totten’s loved ones and family including his union family. Our entire Unifor family grieves with you,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer. 

TORONTO – In the face of increasing harassment of journalists and media workers online, made worse by polarizing politics and the anonymity of social media, Unifor is launching a new website to help journalists and media workers get the help they need when they need it.

“The harassment journalists face on the job is simply horrific. It is often racist and misogynist, and cannot be tolerated,” said Unifor Secretary-Treasurer Lana Payne, herself a former journalist.