March 20 2024

March 21 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It commemorates the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa in 1960, where police opened fire on a crowd of Black protestors, killed 69 people, and injured over 180 others at a peaceful demonstration against the pass laws, which discriminated against Black people.

NUPGE remains committed to combating racism in all forms and to upholding the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and racial justice. We will continue working with our Anti-Racism Committee and in partnership with groups like the Black Class Action Secretariat and others to rid workplaces, communities and institutions of bias, racism and hate.

Canadian society and institutions, including unions, are not free from racism. Only when we stand together can we eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.