Canada’s unions call for strengthened rights and protections for domestic workers
June 16, 2021
Canada’s unions are marking International Domestic Workers Day by calling on the federal government to increase access to services and protections for domestic workers and to ratify the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Convention 189 on decent work for domestic workers. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit domestic workers hard – as of June 2020, the ILO estimated that approximately 72.3% of global domestic…
National AccessAbility Week: Canada’s unions call for elimination of barriers to employment, launch new handbook
May 28, 2021
Canada’s unions are marking National AccessAbility Week by calling on the federal government to remove barriers to employment and increase economic security for people with disabilities. Observed from May 30 to June 5, National AccessAbility Week is an opportunity to celebrate and advance accessibility and inclusion in our workplaces and communities. “Everyone benefits when workplaces are accessible,” said Larry Rousseau,…
Canada’s unions condemn anti-Asian racism and urge solidarity with Asian communities
April 30, 2021
This Asian Heritage Month, Canada’s unions are standing in solidarity with Asian workers and communities by calling for an end to anti-Asian racism. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified historical xenophobic, anti-Asian sentiment and rhetoric, which has resulted in increased violence against members of Asian communities. Live data from Fight COVID Racism shows that from March 10, 2020 to mid-April 2021, there…
Remembering the victims of the Rana Plaza disaster
April 23, 2021
April 24th marks the grim anniversary of one of the world’s worst industrial disasters that killed at least 1,132 garment workers and injured more than 2,500 when the Rana Plaza building collapsed 8 years ago in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In the years since, global initiatives, primarily the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, have achieved remarkable improvements to health and…
We need smart public policy to address vaccine hesitancy
April 20, 2021
When the first COVID-19 vaccines were injected into the arms of Canadians last December, there was a widespread sense of optimism as people could see the beginning of the end of this pandemic. Now, with more contagious and deadly variants surging in most regions of the country, this third wave threatens to be the most-deadly phase of the pandemic that…
The Canadian Labour Congress and provincial and territorial federations of labour find Uber’s self serving proposal for Flexible Work+ dangerous, undermining and offensive to the rights and dignity of workers. The plan, rolled out over the past few weeks, signals the companies’ intention to pressure governments to invent a niche category for app-based employment. Like Proposition 22 in California, Uber…
Canada’s unions mark Black History Month by calling for racial justice in pandemic response and recovery
February 1, 2021
Canada’s unions are marking Black History Month by calling for an end to systemic anti-Black racism. This includes urging the federal government to disaster-proof Canada’s social safety net to ensure a COVID-19 response and recovery that is rooted in racial justice. “This is a time of reckoning,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). “The double crisis of…
Canada’s unions stand with India’s farmers and farm workers
December 22, 2020
Canada’s unions stand in solidarity with farmers and agricultural workers in India as they continue to protest recent reforms to agricultural laws that deregulate the industry and leave farmers and farm workers vulnerable to exploitation by international corporations. “Deregulating local produce markets will have a devastating impact on farmers, farm workers and food security in India,” said Canadian Labour Congress…
Canada’s unions mark World Day for Decent Work with a call for a robust economic recovery plan
October 7, 2020
COVID-19 has exposed flaws in social protections in Canada and around the world. The effects of this pandemic on health, employment, income, gender and racial equity are all the more catastrophic because of pre-existing gaps in our social safety net. Before the pandemic, ever-increasing globalization meant many workers were employed in precarious, low-wage work with few, if any, benefits. Now…
Supreme Court ruling on Uber underscores workers’ rights
June 26, 2020
OTTAWA – By ruling today that Uber drivers have a right to reasonable dispute resolution, the Supreme Court of Canada has defended the workers’ rights. “This decision underscores the message that a worker is a worker,” said Canadian Labour Congress President, Hassan Yussuff. “This ruling sends a clear message to employers that they can’t skirt around workers’ rights by using…