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CLC backs uniform national EI entrance standard

Supports Bill C-308 on behalf of 3.2 million workers across the country.

Ottawa (17 May 2010) - The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has endorsed Bill C-308 on behalf of the 3.2 million members it speaks for in labour federations, councils and other groups of working people across the country.

The bill would expand access to regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits to 360 hours, the standard the CLC has long advocated as a uniform entrance requirement across the country.

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has been campaigning for many of the reforms included in the bill. NUPGE supports the proposed legislation but believes it could, and should, be made even better by extending the period of benefits available to claimants who cannot find work.

If passed, the bill would modestly increase EI benefits to 60% of earnings, calculated on the basis of the best 12 weeks over the previous year.

"We welcome the proposed move," the CLC says.

"MPs should recognize that the average benefit today is very low — at about $350 per week — barely enough to support even a single person above the poverty line. The maximum benefit today is about $150 less per week than it was in the last recession."

The congress says EI claimants qualify for an average of about 38 weeks of benefits, including modest improvements made by the federal government since the workers were hammered by the global recession.

"At this point in the recession, jobs are still very hard to find," it notes. "Between the start of the recession and September 2009, the average duration of a spell of unemployment has risen from 13.6 to 17.0 weeks, and more than one in five unemployed workers in February 2010 had been out of work for more than six months."

The CLC says the result is that claimants are either running out of benefits or have already exhausted them, adding thatthe bill does not adequately deal with this fact.

"While we notice that this Bill improves access and level of benefits, the duration of benefits remains a concern that still needs to be addressed," it adds.

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE

More information:
• National Union joins call for improvements to Employment Insurance