CTV reports, “McGill’s striking support staff members received some high-profile support as they demonstrated near the university gates. Brian Topp, leadership candidate for the federal NDP, along with Maude Barlow from the Council of Canadians gave speeches to rally the crowd of several hundred people.” The Canadian Press adds, “NDP leadership candidate Topp returned to his alma mater today to support to striking employees at McGill University. Topp joined several hundred support staff on the picket line across the street from a university building in downtown Montreal. …Topp was joined at the demonstration by Maude Barlow, national chairwoman of the Council of Canadians, and Michel Arsenault, president of the Quebec Federation of Labour.”
The 1,700 members of the McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association in Montreal have been on strike since September 1. As noted in a recent Montreal Gazette article, “They are asking for wage parity with other universities and more of a say in their pension and other benefits.: During the recent contract negotiations, McGill University offered only a 1.2-per-cent raise, specifically a 0.6-percent step increase and 0.6-per-cent general raise. Additionally, Quebec’s Labour Relations Board recently rejected an emergency stop-work order for McGill University. As reported in The Link, “The union representing the McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association demanded, in late September, for an emergency stop-work order on the replacement workers hired to do their jobs during the strike.”
The Council of Canadians supports the MUNACA workers and their strike. We agree with MUNACA that, “It is unacceptable to cut the pensions and benefits of the permanent non-academic workers at McGill, and equally unacceptable to offer them an insufficient 1.2% pay raise. It is necessary for all members of the McGill community to receive fair and decent treatment.” We demand that MUNACA receive just that.
For more information on this strike, please go to http://www.munaca.com/. To sign a petition in support of MUNACA, go to http://www.change.org/petitions/olivier-marcil-support-munaca.
