Never again: Canada’s unions mark 10 years since the Rana Plaza factory collapse
April 24, 2023
On April 24, workers in Bangladesh and across the globe will gather to mark the anniversary of the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse and mourn the loss of the more than 1,100 workers who were killed. Over 2,500 workers and their families continue to live with the aftermath of serious injuries sustained in one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.…
Statement from Bea Bruske: To uphold refugee rights, Canada must suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement
April 4, 2023
OTTAWA––Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, released the following statement today: “On Refugee Rights Day, we recognize and celebrate the 1985 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that refugee claimants are entitled to fundamental justice. Today, Canada’s unions urge the federal government to uphold the principles of fundamental justice and fulfill its moral duty and international obligation to protect…
Like Biden, Trudeau should put good union jobs on the agenda
March 22, 2023
By Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress as published in The Hill Times Behind the smiles and handshakes when a U.S. president visits Canada are long hours of painstaking negotiations. Officials plan the trip to the minute and fight it out over every item on the agenda. An agenda that will no doubt include U.S. protectionism and ‘Buy…
Statement by the Canadian Labour Congress regarding the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
January 14, 2023
The Canadian Labour Congress has expressed its grave concerns about the allegations against Luca Visentini, stemming from an ongoing corruption investigation by the Belgian authorities. Visentini was elected to the position of General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation in Melbourne, Australia, in November 2022. He was subsequently arrested and released with conditions as part of the investigation. Visentini…
Labour 20 recommendations to G20 Labour and Employment Ministers
September 14, 2022
In advance of a meeting of the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers held in Bali, Indonesia on September 14, 2022, the Labour 20, or L20, laid out a series of recommendations to Ministers. The L20 represents trade unions from G20 countries and global unions. The group called on Ministers to lay the foundation of a new social contract and take…
Bruske to German Chancellor and the G7: Turn from ambition to action on climate and just transition
May 11, 2022
Bruske: We must not trade good jobs for low-quality, precarious work as we accelerate progress on tackling the climate crisis BERLIN – Today in Germany, Bea Bruske delivered a strong message from international labour leaders to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President of the G7. “When it comes to building a plan to decarbonize every sector of our economies, it is…
The 2022 Labour 7 summit “Shaping the Global Common Good” will take place in Berlin from May 11 to 13. In advance of the summit, trade union leaders from G7 countries have issued the joint Labour 7 statement to the G7 Leaders’ Summit 2022: Shaping the Global Common Good Peace and Democracy, Climate Action, Health, Fair Digitalisation. You can read the…
Canada’s unions stand in solidarity with Ukraine and condemn unprovoked Russian aggression
February 24, 2022
OTTAWA–– Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, released the following statement: “The world is watching with horror as Russia launches an unjustified attack on Ukraine and its people. Canada’s unions condemn this unprovoked act of aggression and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine who now face violence, hardship and an uncertain future. “Russia’s military assault will…
Canada’s unions calling for worker-centred pandemic recovery
October 6, 2021
Canada’s unions are marking the World Day for Decent Work on October 7, by calling on the federal government to focus on workers in their pandemic recovery plans and replace lost jobs with better ones “The pandemic has highlighted the existing inequity and precarity in Canada’s job market and shone a light on the pervasiveness of work defined by low…
Canadian unions have responded to an appeal issued by the Confederation of Public and Private Sector Workers of Haiti, the CTSP, as it aims to respond to the recent devastation wrought by the August 14 earthquake, followed two days later by the impact of tropical storm Grace. The estimated impact at the end of August of this double hit was…