Canada’s unions mark Equal Pay Day with a call for pay equity implementation now
April 9, 2019
April 9, 2019 marks Equal Pay Day in Ontario, the date recognized as the amount of time it takes for women’s wages to catch up to men’s wages in 2018. Nationally, Equal Pay Day is an opportunity to educate communities across Canada on the realities of the gender wage gap and its negative economic impacts on women, especially women with…
When government, employers & unions take domestic violence seriously
March 8, 2019
By Hassan Yussuff, Derrick Hynes, and the Hon. Patty Hajdu In the four years since the release of the first-ever pan-Canadian study on the impact of domestic violence at work, unions, employers and governments have embarked on a remarkable joint project to help protect jobs and promote workplace safety. We now have a common understanding of the magnitude of this…
International Women’s Day: #DoneWaiting for equality in the workplace
March 5, 2019
Canada’s Unions are marking International Women’s Day in 2019 with a bold message on the future of women and work: women are #DoneWaiting for fairness at work. It’s time to expose what it’s like #BeingAWomanAtWork and demand changes to help make workplaces and working life better for women. #DoneWaiting is a campaign for women’s economic justice. Launched one year ago, the campaign…
Canada’s unions mark Human Rights Day by challenging rising racism and discrimination
December 10, 2018
Canada’s unions are marking International Human Rights Day and the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by calling on Canadians to collectively confront racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia. With hate crimes on the rise, the Canadian Labour Congress is encouraging people to endorse the Charter for Inclusive Communities which promotes “inclusive, just, and respectful communities in Canada”. Recent data released by…
Paid leave can help break the cycle of domestic violence
December 6, 2018
As published in the Globe and Mail Nearly three decades after the massacre of 14 women at Montreal’s École Polytechnique, we continue to grapple with the shameful reality that far too many women face violence, harassment and abuse in their lives. While we haven’t yet been able to eradicate all violence against women, we can eliminate barriers that prevent people…
16 days of action: Towards ending gender-based violence
November 22, 2018
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25 marks the first day of 16 globally recognized days of activism to end gender-based violence. This year, Canada’s unions are taking action to specifically address gender-based violence in the workplace. Violence and harassment are a daily reality for far too many workers in Canada. The #MeToo movement…
Union wins the biggest pay equity payout in history
October 29, 2018
On October 29, 1999 the federal government announced its plan to implement what stands as the biggest pay equity pay out in history. It was sweet victory for the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which filed the original complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Commission on behalf of its members in 1984. Fair pay means that the work women…
The first Bread and Roses March, an initiative of the Fédération des femmes du Québec (FFQ), began on May 26, 1995. Over the course of 10 days, more than 800 Québécoise demonstrators set off from Montréal, Longueuil and Rivière-du-Loup and converged on Québec City with nine demands of the government to combat poverty. In 1994, Françoise David took the helm…
International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia: Speak up together against violence and harassment
May 17, 2018
Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to make it easier for workers to report harassment and violence by implementing anti-reprisal measures, including whistleblower protection. This will make it safer for LGBTQ2SI workers to report harassment and violence in the workplace, without fear of reprisal, discrimination or stigma. “Violence and harassment should never be part of the job. It’s time…