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…
Building a low-wage economy with stomach-churning greed
April 26, 2022
Bruske: Minimum wage employees being replaced by offshore workers making $3.75 an hour will hurt workers everywhere OTTAWA –– Replacing frontline workers with exploited offshore workers, as the restaurant chain Freshii is now doing, moves us towards a low-wage economy that weakens our communities and exploits workers, according to Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “This is about replacing…
BC government move to card check certification a win for workers
April 6, 2022
Canada’s unions welcome today’s move by the BC government to return to automatic certification in the province. “The switch from automatic certification to mandatory voting has coincided with the decline in unionization rates. This is no accident,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. “We need to see more government action to empower workers. Having a union and…
Rank and file union members engage MPs with powerful stories about the need to end seniors’ clawbacks
December 3, 2021
Bruske: Hundreds of union members participated in CLC’s Action Week, telling MPs about low-income seniors being left behind and care workers in desperate need of a break Hundreds of workers have been engaging MPs about the need for swift action to help struggling seniors and better support care workers as Parliament works to end the pandemic and start Canada along…
As clock ticks down, Canada’s unions demand government chooses help for people
October 13, 2021
OTTAWA—Canada’s unions are urging the federal government to extend emergency benefits to help workers and their families still struggling through the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada’s recent Labour Force Survey showed that nearly one and a half million people are still looking for work and total hours worked still lag well below pre-pandemic levels. “Behind the headlines, the…
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…
New job numbers show there’s work to be done on economic recovery
September 10, 2021
Anemic wage growth in Canada as some workers get left behind Canada’s unions are raising the alarm, warning that Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey shows signs that the economic recovery is uneven, wage growth for low-paid workers remains weak, and some groups are being left behind. “In the US, wages of lower-skilled workers have begun to rise, but wage growth…
O’Toole would build a social safety net out of hot air
September 8, 2021
Conservatives release platform costing, but Canadians already have the tally on broken Conservative promises. Canada’s unions are warning that a huge fiscal hole in Erin O’Toole’s platform and proposals that leave workers behind would put Canada’s already weakened social safety net at risk. Experts have been pointing to how the Conservatives’ unrealistic growth projections create a gigantic fiscal gap in…
Bea Bruske: Put working families at the heart of Canada’s recovery
September 6, 2021
OTTAWA – Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress released the following statement on Labour Day: “Over the past eighteen months, workers and their families have faced unprecedented challenges from a pandemic and fiscal crisis. “Parents faced the pressure of working from home while dealing with their kids’ schooling. Workers faced the anxiety of being thrown out of work…
Hidden in Conservative platform: An attack on public pensions and EI
August 19, 2021
Conservatives would relegate gig workers to second-class citizens in Canada’s workforce OTTAWA – Hidden in Erin O’Toole’s Conservative policy platform is a kick in the teeth for the retirement and job security of gig workers. “Conservatives have a policy plan that includes a blatant attack on public pensions. They would permanently relegate gig workers to second-class status in Canada’s workforce,”…