OTTAWA – Canada’s unions applaud today’s Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) announcement, which recognizes the importance of worker interests and collective agreements.
“We’re glad to see the government announce support for hard-hit sectors, and companies that employ millions of Canadians,” said Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) President Hassan Yussuff. “Most importantly, the government has included explicit directives to respect collective agreements, bargaining and pension protections.”
In the wake of today’s announcement, labour leaders continue to push for requirements to preserve employment and maintain these investment in Canada, and the necessity for all employers to supply proper health and safety protections for returning workers.
Today’s announcement could have gone further by restricting access from firms who use offshore tax havens and tax-shelters, as well as halting share buybacks, dividend payments and executive bonuses.
“Overall, we believe that the terms laid out in this announcement will help save Canadian jobs,” added Yussuff. “Beyond today’s announcement, we will be advocating for further measures to protect the pensions of employees of companies facing insolvency who aren’t large enough to qualify for LEEFF.”
For more information:
CLC Media Relations
media@clcctc.ca
613-526-7426
