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Lettercanada Published By AMERICAN INCOME LIFE & NATIONAL INCOME LIFE LETTER canada LABOUR ADVISORY BOARD JULY 2014 Vol. 15 No. 4 NEWS FROM THE in short term, part-time, and poorly paid CLC, FEDERATIONS jobs. Governments have let them down by & NATIONAL failing to act. We owe them better than this,” he said. Statistics Canada’s Labour UNIONS Force Survey for May revealed that 13.3 per cent of workers in the 15-24 age group Canada’s unions called for a were unemployed and 30.4 per cent un- national jobs strategy with an emphasis on deremployed. Overall, the official unem- young workers. Canadian Labour Con- ployment rate was 7.0 per cent in May and gress head Hassan Yussuff declared that the rate of underemployment was 14.7 per far too many young Canadian workers are cent. “Our governments talk about invest- either unemployed or underemployed and ing in jobs, but the fact is that Canada has governments must come up with a strat- fallen far behind. It’s time to walk the talk egy to solve the problem. “Young people and for governments to provide deliber- want to work and contribute. They want ate labour market strategies that will al- to build lives for themselves but too of- low people to find full-time, meaningful ten they can’t find work, or they are stuck work,” said Yussuff. Brock University in St. Catha- rines June 5 awarded an honourary Doc- tor of Laws degree to USW President Leo Gerard in recognition of his “un- wavering commitment to social justice.” Gerard previously received honourary degrees from the University of Guelph and from Laurentian University in his hometown of Sudbury. Brock University cited Gerard’s “significant contributions to the advancement of workers’ interests in both the social and economic spheres.” “Transforming ideas into action has been central to the work and activism of Mr. Leo Gerard, whose career in the labour movement, spanning several decades, has undeniably improved the working lives of CLC head Hassan Yussuff. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from United Steelworkers. women and men in Canada, the United TERRY O'SULLIVAN, President - Laborers International Union of North America, Chairman - AIL Labour Advisory Board VICTOR KAMBER, Vice President - American Income Life Insurance Company, Executive Director - AIL Labour Advisory Board ROGER SMITH, President & Chief Executive Officer - American Income Life Insurance Company, President - AIL Labour Advisory Board DENISE BOWYER, Vice President - American Income Life Insurance Company, Secretary - AIL Labour Advisory Board DAVE BARRETT, Former Premier of Province of British Columbia, Honorary Member - AIL Labour Advisory Board Pg 2 LABOUR LETTER London anti-Uber taxi protest. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from David Holt. INTERNATIONAL States and internationally,” the university Taxi drivers in cities across said. In his convocation address, Gerard LABOUR NEWS Europe on June 11 joined in a massive encouraged graduates to strive to build a protest against the transportation app, better world by staying true to their values Hundreds of workers formerly Uber, because of unfair competition. and remaining idealistic. employed by Adidas in Jakarta staged a The company connects passengers with demonstration June 11 demanding Adidas drivers for hire and ride-sharing services Hassan Yussuff, the new pres- and its local contractor pay them sever- through the internet. Traffic in major cit- ident of the Canadian Labour Congress, ance owed since 2012. The demonstrators ies such as Berlin, Paris and London was is the first immigrant and first person of carried signs denouncing Adidas and lo- stalled as cabbies took their complaints colour to lead the Congress. In his victory cal footwear producer PT Panarub Dwi- about the service to the streets. Uber speech to the CLC following his narrow karya (PDK). The protestors were among has caused concern among cab drivers win over incumbent Ken Georgetti, he is- the more than 300 PDK workers who throughout the countries where it oper- sued a call to all Canadian working families were fired after joining a five-day strike in ates, including the U.S. and Canada. Cab to “fight back’ for change and “to protect 2012. The strike in October 2012 at the drivers said the drivers connected through ourselves.” He was elected at the largest Tangerang, Banten factory involved 1,300 Uber are unlicensed, unregulated and CLC convention in its history, with nearly PDK workers who opposed a new com- may pose a threat to passengers. In the 5,000 delegates attending. In what the news pany policy forcing them to make more United Kingdom, cab drivers have filed media called a “hotly contested” election, shoes during the same working hours. The legal action against Uber in London’s Yussuff won by 40 votes, 2,318 compared workers demanded improved working con- High Court. Although a decision may with 2,278 for Georgetti. According to ditions and higher pay in accordance with be months away, some 12,000 black cabs news reports, shortly after the results were the regional minimum wage. Adidas is a drove to the London’s Trafalgar Square made public, Georgetti passed a motion to major international sponsor of the World in solidarity. “Transport for London, our have the vote counted as a unanimous one Cup and the workers used the opening of licensing body, refuses to enforce the law. in favour of Yussuff, greeting the president- the games as momentum to stage a protest. Specifically, the 1998 London Private elect and raising their hands in solidarity at The Indonesian Labour Association Move- Hire Vehicles act, which Uber circum- the podium. Delegates also elected Barbara ment’s Textile Union of Garment, Textile vents and is in direct contravention of,” Byers as its new Secretary-Treasurer and and Shoes Workers (SGBGTS-GSBI) said said Lewis Norton, the branch secretary Marie Clarke Walker and Donald Lafleur it had contacted both PDK and Adidas for the National Union of Rail, Maritime as Executive Vice-Presidents. multiple times with no successful outcome. and Transport Workers. LABOUR LETTER Pg 3 Finnish stevedores staged a strike June 11 in protest of “slave labour” used on a Russian vessel that suspended operations at ports across Finland, reported Juha Anttila, a union secretary at the Trans- port Workers’ Union (AKT). The union said nearly 3,000 AKT members took part in the action, shutting virtually every port in Finland. The industry-wide action was approved by the union after stevedores at the Port of Tornio refused to unload a Rus- sian vessel and subsequent threats made to a local shop steward. “We don’t approve of any threats, so the AKT executive board de- cided to enforce the one-day strike,” Ant- tila said. The workers returned to work the next morning. The union asserted the strike was legal. “This is a so-called political strike, which is not in violation of Finnish laws.” OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from WEF. NATIONAL & Many unions supported Wynne and the A massive report on the Cana- POLITICAL EVENTS Liberals. Wynne ran a leftist campaign with dian economy released in June by the inter- a far-reaching agenda of transit-building national Organization for Economic Co- In what the news media called and a provincial pension plan, the largest operation and Development warned that a “stunning majority victory,” Ontario vot- new social program in a generation. She Canada is becoming a country of growing ers in June elected the first woman and vowed to reconvene the legislature within inequality in housing, wealth, and between openly gay premier, Kathleen Wynne, and 20 days to reintroduce her budget, which the oil-rich West and the rest of the nation. gave incumbent Liberals an even larger was rejected by the other parties last month, The conclusions raise red flags for the nation majority. Political observers also said the bringing about the snap vote. The Liber- where home prices and rents are increas- election was a referendum over the auster- als won a fourth-straight mandate with ingly out of reach for too many Canadians, ity budget promised by Progressive Con- 59 seats, the PC at 27 seats and the NDP particularly in Vancouver and Toronto. “The servative Leader Tim Hudak who pledged at 21. At dissolution in the legislature, the point of the whole commentary is that it is to cut 100,000 public-sector positions. He Liberals held 48 seats, the Tories 37 and the not just about income [inequality],” OECD resigned as party leader after the trouncing. NDP 21, with one seat vacant. Secretary-General Angel Gurria said in an interview. “It is about income, yes, but it is about health, education, job opportunities. It’s really about inequalities, plural.” Gur- ria told reporters that the OECD’s assess- ment of the Canadians economy is about “as good as it gets” in the postfinancial crisis era. Nearly 40 per cent of Canadians now live in cities where house prices are “seriously or severely unaffordable,” based on interna- tional comparisons of home prices and me- dian incomes, the OECD said. The OECD also warned that the Bank of Canada faces a precarious balancing act between raising interest rates to curb the growth in consum- er debt levels and keeping affordability in check. The OECD is an international orga- nization of governments, of which Canada is a member, and private institutions which Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from studies and makes recommendations on Premier of Ontario Photography. economic issues. Pg 4 LABOUR LETTER NEWS FROM this opportunity to bring our ideas and need to send an even stronger message to concerns to the table as the ITA goes our employer that we will not be bullied CANADA’S UNIONS through this important restructuring into accepting an inferior contract,” the process,” said Sigurdson.
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