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Labour rights are human rights: NUPGE convention 2007

Delegates applaud leadership taken by National Union in campaign focusing on labour rights

 

 

Roger Couvrette

Fredericton (22 June 2007) – Labour rights were at the forefront of the first morning of activities of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) convention on Friday in Fredericton. Convention delegates applauded the lead role NUPGE has played in drawing attention to violations of labour and human rights standards by federal and provincial governments.

In particular, several delegates pointed out that Canada is a major violator of international labour standards it has signed over the years in United Nations (UN) and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions and treaties.

They also passed a resolution calling on NUPGE to continue its campaign to create greater awareness about the need for progressive labour law reform, including holding in 2008 an International Symposium on Labour Rights are Human Rights.

Ontario and New Brunswick workers highlighted

Delegates heard directly from front-line workers in Ontario and New Brunswick who have experienced first hand a denial of their labour rights. Without basic labour rights, these workers cannot engage in collective bargaining to improve their standard of living and to have a say in their workplace.

In Ontario, for example, part-time community college workers are currently legally barred from the right to join a union.

Roger Couvrette, a part-time teacher at Algonquin College in Ottawa, and also the first president of the Organization of Part-time and Sessional Employees of the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (OPSECAAT), told delegates his association intends to mount a campaign to ensure that Ontario's 17,000 part-time college workers have the right to join a union. Text of Remarks

“The current legislation is a direct and deliberate attack on workers,” said Couvrette. “It’s a clear violation of Canadian and international labour and human rights and we’re going to put a stop to it.”

NUPGE President James Clancy and OPSECAAT President Roger Couvrette

In New Brunswick there is also a law stipulating that casual workers employed by the provincial government do not have the right to join a union. Thousands of casual workers are affected by the law as it now stands.

The New Brunswick Union (NBU/NUPGE) is currently before the courts in a fight to win improved rights and benefits for these casual workers.

“These workers feel vulnerable and frustrated," said Tom Mann, executive director of the New Brunswick Union (NBU/NUPGE). “We’re going to fight our hardest to ensure the provincial government stops denying these workers their basic human rights.”

NUPGE convention delegates also discussed the recent Supreme Court ruling which has strongly bolstered the union’s court battle.

Supreme Court ruling affirms labour rights are human rights

A landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision on June 8 ruled that the right to collective bargaining is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is a fundamental aspect of Canadian society.

The 6-1 ruling arises from a 2002 case in which the Liberal government of British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell arbitrarily cancelled the contracts of thousands of health care workers and allowed for mass layoffs outside the collective bargaining process.

The top court ruled that several sections of the B.C. legislation (Bill 29) violated Section 2 of the Charter, which protects freedom of association. The court also rejected earlier Supreme Court decisions that excluded collective bargaining from the Charter’s protection saying those decisions do not withstand principled scrutiny.

James Clancy, president of the 340,000-member National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), said the decision is one of the most significant rulings for Canadian workers ever rendered by Canada's top court.

"This landmark decision recognizes that collective bargaining is a human right for all workers, and it affirms that labour rights are human rights,” he said.

“The court ruling says that labour rights complement, promote and enhance fundamental Canadian values such as equality, democracy, dignity and personal autonomy.”

“But we know our work isn’t finished until every worker in Canada has the basic right to join a union and engage in collective bargaining and our efforts in this regard will continue in the months and years ahead.” NUPGE

Supreme Court Decision:
• Complete Text: Supreme Court of Canada decision
• Supreme Court ruling good for college part-timers
• NUPGE labour rights page

More information:

Background materials (B.C.)

Background materials (Newfoundland and Labrador):