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Staff from plenty of labor teams waved their union flags and marched in downtown Calgary on Friday afternoon to demand higher from the provincial authorities and stand in solidarity with federal protests.
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The rally, led by the Alberta Federation of Labor (AFL), noticed lots of of employees march from the TELUS Conference Middle to Metropolis Corridor, the place union representatives spoke to chants of “employees deserve higher” and “solidarity.” The audio system referred to as for higher wages, safety of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and higher assist by extreme staffing shortages.
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“Employers on this province and the personal sector are making document income. Our provincial authorities’s coffers are full. Our economic system is powerful and its prospects for the longer term are brilliant. On this context, Alberta employees don’t must decrease their expectations,” AFL president Gil McGowan shouted to the group.
“You do not have to accept much less.”
‘We would like higher’
The rally comes simply weeks earlier than Albertans go to the polls. Discuss of the approaching provincial election led to chants of “NDP” from the group exterior Metropolis Corridor.
Gavin McGarrigle, Western Regional Director at Unifor, mentioned Unifor representatives have been proud to face in solidarity with AFL members.
“We will do it the best way we’ve to do it: boots on the bottom, each day, each week for the subsequent 4 weeks. That is the quickest strategy to get higher contracts for all of us is to do away with this authorities and get a authorities by employees and for employees to verify we make this province higher,” McGarrigle says to applause. of the group.
AFL’s McGowan mentioned the rally ought to ship a powerful message to employers in Alberta’s private and non-private sectors. Staff within the province mustn’t tolerate disrespect within the office, he mentioned.
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“Staff are demanding higher,” McGowan mentioned. “For the previous yr and a half, we’ve lived by a interval of unprecedented inflation. The price of dwelling is way greater and wages haven’t saved up.”
Rory Gill, president of the Canadian Union of Public Workers (CUPE) Alberta chapter, mentioned the labor motion has been revitalized.
“There is a second now in Canada, not simply in Alberta, the place employees are saying we would like higher. We would like higher faculties, we would like higher governance and we would like higher social companies,” Gill mentioned.
Requested concerning the upcoming provincial election, Gill mentioned the NDP has made it clear that their priorities are working folks and the issues dealing with on a regular basis working folks.
“We imagine that an NDP authorities is a authorities that we because the labor motion can work with,” Gill mentioned.
Union representing well being care employees could also be headed for industrial motion, HSAA president says
After the rally at Metropolis Corridor, the employees marched to the Harry Hays Constructing to affix the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).
PSAC introduced a strike on Wednesday after failing to succeed in an settlement with the Authorities of Canada the day before today.
The Well being Sciences Affiliation of Alberta (HSAA) mentioned negotiations between employees and medical laboratory firm Dynalife have damaged down.
In line with the union representing the healthcare employees employed by Dynalife, they want to return to the bargaining desk after casual mediation was unsuccessful. The deadlock may result in industrial motion.
“We’re seeing lively privatization of our healthcare by our EMS, long-term care and our laboratory companies. It is shameful and we’ve to face up. This battle begins now. We struggle right now, we struggle each day. Sufficient is sufficient,” HSAA President Mike Parker mentioned at Friday’s rally.
Additionally represented on the rally have been United Meals & Business Employee Native 401, United Nurses of Alberta, PSAC and the Amalgamated Transit Union Native 583.
sbabych@postmedia.com
