Tag Archives: saskatchewan federation of labour

Historic petition demonstrates there is no mandate to privatize

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REGINA – 19,346 Saskatchewan voters have signed an online and physical petition saying no to privatization. Today the Own It! campaign and the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) delivered 17,247 physical petition signatures to the Legislature, calling on the Sask Party government to stop its risky and costly privatization agenda.

“The Sask Party government has outright sold a number of crown corporations, weakened our utility crowns, and has privatized bypasses, hospital laundry services, correctional food services, MRIs, and is even building privatized schools and a privatized prison,” said SFL President Larry Hubich. “The broad support for this petition demonstrates that there is no appetite in Saskatchewan for privatization,” he added.

This petition is one of the largest in Saskatchewan’s history, and shows that Saskatchewan voters are looking for investment into their crowns and public services, not a sell-off to out-of-province corporations.

“This is the last Legislative sitting before next Spring’s provincial election,” said Hubich. “This clearly shows that it doesn’t matter which party wins the upcoming election, no government has a mandate to privatize and take away the benefits of strong crowns and public services,” he added.

In addition to the 17,247 Saskatchewan voters from 447 communities that signed the physical Own It! petition, 2,099 signed the online petition. All of those who signed the petitions are expecting the Sask Party government to stop its privatization schemes and instead invest in Crowns and public services.

The SFL represents over 100,000 working people across the province in 37 affiliated unions.

Source: Historic petition demonstrates there is no mandate to privatize | Canadian Union of Public Employees

Supreme Court hearing arguments on Saskatchewan labour laws

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Essential services legislation, changes to Trade Union Act in dispute

CBC News Posted: May 16, 2014

Labour groups squared off against the Saskatchewan government and business at the Supreme Court of Canada today in a dispute over changes to Saskatchewan’s labour laws proposed in 2008.

The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour says Bill 5, Saskatchewan’s essential services law, and Bill 6, which involves changes to the former Trade Union Act, are in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The essential services law restricts which public sector workers can walk off the job during a strike.

The Saskatchewan government says it’s similar to laws in effect in other provinces and will be used to ensure public safety during labour disruptions. However, unions say the law makes it possible to declare so many employees “essential” that it undercuts their ability to bargain collectively.

Unions also say the Trade Union Act changes make it tougher to form unions in the first place, by raising the threshold of voting workers required to get a certification vote and by eliminating automatic certification in cases where 50 per cent of workers sign union cards in favour of secret ballot votes in all cases where the threshold is met.

The province says the changes make the laws more democratic and ensure public safety.

The unions had a partial victory at the Court of Queen’s Bench level when a judge ruled in their favour on essential services, but the Appeal Court of Saskatchewan reversed that and dismissed both their cases.

The Supreme Court of Canada is expected to hear arguments for and against why the right to strike should be enshrined as a Charter-protected right. 

In addition to the Saskatchewan participants in the case, labour groups, provincial governments and businesses from across Canada are intervening in the challenge.