- The Council of Canadians were on Parliament Hill on Friday in solidarity with the demand that the Harper government withdraw their back-to-work legislation.
The CBC reports, “There is no sign of an end (this Saturday morning) to the NDP filibuster in the House of Commons, where MPs are debating the government’s back-to-work bill to end the postal dispute. The Official Opposition continued to delay the bill (this morning) after another all-night session. …(On Thursday) the NDP had introduced the ‘hoist’ motion to put off second reading for six months, but (on Friday) failed to win approval after the Liberals joined the governing Conservatives to defeat it by a vote of 160 to 74. …There are a number of legislative steps before the bill can be sent to the Senate for approval, including clause by clause consideration of amendments by the Commons sitting as ‘committee of the whole’, the report stage and third reading.”
TAKE ACTION
The Canadian Labour Congress has issued an action alert that states, “The Conservative Government is pushing through back-to-work legislation that will give Canada Post what it could not get at the bargaining table with CUPW. The Official Opposition NDP is fighting this draconian legislation in the House of Commons. Tell Prime Minister Harper and Minister of Labour Lisa Raitt what you think about their back-to-work legislation.” Part of the message you can send to Harper and Raitt says, “The proper role for the government was to tell its own Crown Corporation to get back to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair collective agreement. You should not be helping Canada Post achieve through legislation what it could not get through collective bargaining. Incredibly, you have even set salary increases in this legislation that are lower than Canada Post’s last wage offer. This is shameful and a fundamental violation of the right to free collective bargaining.”
To send this message, go to http://www.canadianlabour.ca/action-center/no-two-tier-wages-tell-pm.
