TORONTO – The federal government’s willingness to trample the constitutional rights of Canada Post workers is reprehensible and contradicts the Trudeau Liberals’ oft-stated “values,” but it should come as no surprise to Canadians, the United Steelworkers (USW) says.
“The Liberal government’s willingness to legislate away workers’ Charter rights to strike and to free collective bargaining certainly is no surprise to Canada Post executives,” said USW National Director Ken Neumann.
“For over a year, Canada Post has failed to negotiate fair resolutions to crucial issues such as equality for women, disturbing injury rates and disparities between urban and rural workers,” Neumann said.
“As the process dragged on, Canada Post has been secure in the knowledge the Liberal government would crack down on workers if they decided to exert pressure for a fair settlement by exercising their right to strike,” he said.
“The Liberal government’s willingness to enact back-to-work legislation is not a solution to a problem, it is the cause of the problem. Trampling on the Charter rights of Canadian workers is a subversion of free and fair collective bargaining. It fosters impasses. It inhibits fair settlements,” Neumann said.
“The message from this government to Canada Post and other corporations that choose to subvert collective bargaining is clear: ‘We’ve got your back.’ It’s another betrayal of this government’s commitment to so-called ‘values’ of fairness and equality, of defending working people and growing the middle class,” he said.
“The Liberals’ back-to-work legislation was tabled one day after the government unveiled its plan to provide $16 billion in tax breaks to corporations and businesses – tax breaks that will be subsidized by middle-class and working families across the country,” Neumann noted.
“These are the same working families who hoped to benefit from the Liberals’ ‘middle-class’ tax cuts,” he said.
“In reality, the Trudeau tax cuts benefit the well-off. Canadian workers earning $50,000 a year receive a measly $71 annual tax reduction, while those with incomes of $200,000 enjoy a $680 yearly tax cut.”
Ken Neumann, USW National Director, 416-544-5951
Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966, 416-434-2221, bgallagher@usw.ca
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