CANADIAN POLITICS/CANADIAN LABOUR-SASKATCHEWAN:

WALL GOVERNMENT ATTRACTS UNWANTED ATTENTION:

I guess it's an example of overweening ambition. The Saskatchewan Party (read right wing conservative) government of Premier Brad Wall of Saskatchewan is in an unseemly rush to demolish any and all legislation that might benefit workers or ordinary people. Wall should really take lessons from that master of slyness, our beloved Prime Minister, about how to go about these things piecemeal. patience is, after all, a virtue. This rush to take away rights has attracted the unwanted attention of the International Labour Organization (ILO) who have made it plain to the Premier that his plans violate international law. Here's the story from Larry Hubich's Blog. Hubich is the President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL).

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ILO blasts anti-labour laws adopted by Saskatchewan

UN body instructs government of Premier Brad Wall to consult with labour and work out an acceptable solution to essential services legislation, union organizing votes and a labour relations board all parties can trust.
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The International Labour Organization (ILO) has issued a stinging rebuke to the government of Saskatchewan, primarily over two pieces of anti-labour legislation adopted in 2008 (Bills 5 and 6).
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The United Nations body has directed the province to go back to the drawing board and rewrite the laws in full consultation and cooperation with workers and labour groups affected.
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In an unusually-pointed decision, the ILO – which is based in Geneva – has also instructed the Brad Wall government to keep ILO officials informed of corrective steps as they are taken to bring the province into compliance with international labour standards that Canada as a UN member country is bound to uphold.

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“The ILO has told the Wall government that these laws clearly violate international law and the principles of freedom of association. The government has an obligation and a duty to consult meaningfully with those who are affected by the laws it intends to enact,” said SFL President Larry Hubich.
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“SGEU is particularly pleased with the decision of the ILO and its impact on our collective bargaining. The outrageous and illegal use of designations to take away our members’ right to strike and force upon us collective agreements which do not reflect free and fair bargaining will be addressed through all means at our disposal including the courts if necessary,” said Bob Bymoen, president of SGEU.

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“This government must repeal its regulations and honour our previous agreement. International law is not just about business. It’s also about human rights and it’s time the Wall government started to respect those rights,” added Bymoen.
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“The ILO has also stated that the Labour Relations Board, which enforces both Acts, needs to enjoy the confidence of labour, and since the 2008 firings of the chair and vice-chair, those conditions do not exist. That’s another mess the ILO is calling upon the Wall government to fix,” added Hubich.

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“Brad Wall’s government appears eager to go out of their way to ensure the province complies with international trade agreements. It’s time they respected and lived up to our international obligations to ensure labour rights and human rights are consistent with those of other modern democracies,” said Hubich and Bymoen.
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The ILO Committee on Freedom of Association is referring the decision to the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations. The Committee of experts is expected to meet in June and to issue a report on the government’s compliance in November.
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Download PDF version of news release here....
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Download complete ILO decision here....

CANADIAN LABOUR-MOOSE JAW:

XL BEEF BOYCOTT ?:

As Molly reported last October 18 members of UFCW Local 1400 have been locked out since late September at the XL Beef plant in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan. Since then the workers have been walking the picket line and trying to keep their spirits up. XL workers are beginning to ask the public for a boycott of XL products, as the following story from the Moose Jaw Times Herald says.

XL Foods in Moose jaw is owned by XL Foods in Calgary which, in turn is owned by Edmonton based Nilsson Brothers Group. The company claims worldwide exports, and it seems to me that any consideration of a boycott should be national or even international. XL products are sold under their own label and also the label of 'The Original Alberta Beef'. The company operates slaughter and processing facilities in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Here's the story from the Moose Jaw Times Herald.

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Locked out XL Beef employees start boycott campaign:
Shoppers at Moose Jaw grocery stores on Friday might have seen individuals passing out pieces of paper reading “Tainted Meat.”

However the word “tainted” wasn’t referring to the quality of the meat, but rather how unionized XL Beef employees feel about the ongoing labour dispute with the employer.

Norm Neault, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union Local 1400 president and spokesman, said employees are asking for community support by way of a local boycott on XL products.

Although UFCW hasn’t asked Saskatchewan Federation of Labour for support with the boycott yet, Neault said it will.

He said although it may seem difficult, the union is urging residents to help bring an end to the lockout by asking store clerks and managers which are XL, and then avoiding the purchase of such items.

According to Neault, Friday was the first time the union members handed out pamphlets as part of a boycott campaign

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According to this further article from the Moose Jaw Times Herald the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) is hesitating about whether to endorse the boycott.

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Saskatchewan Federation of Labour to consider supporting XL boycott:
If the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) chooses to support the local XL boycott, it will only do so after thorough consideration.

“We don’t take boycotts lightly, because once started, they’re hard to turn off,” SFL executive assistant Don Anderson told the Times-Herald on Monday.

MOLLY NOTE:

I really have to call a time out here. What could possibly be good reasons for calling off a boycott ? One would be that the strike has been won in which case the boycott virtually calls itself off as the news is disseminated. Another is that the strike is really, completely and truly lost in which case you might as well keep the thing going out of pure spite and punishment of the victor. Another would be that the workers (not a union head office) involved themselves ask for its cancellation for whatever reason. This is also virtually self cancelling. Yet another is that there is a court judgement that leads to the bailiffs coming and seizing union assets all the way down to the light sockets and the toilet seats. Any tin pot lawyer whose whisky consumption is less than 26oz/day should be able to protect the union against that one. What is not a good reason is any desire of union officials to have complete and total control over any such boycott- just for the sake of having such control. OK, time out over.
On Friday, XL Beef employees were at grocery stores, handing out pamphlets encouraging local shoppers to boycott XL products.

Norm Neault, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union Local 1400 president and spokesman, said the union is urging residents to help bring an end to the lockout by them asking store clerks and managers what products are XL products, and then avoiding the purchase of such items.

Neault said the union would also ask for support from the SFL.

According to Anderson, the provincial organization will take that application and contact all other unions within its membership that might be impacted by the boycott. If SFL decides to support the UFCW initiative, Anderson said his staff would encourage all 95,000 SFL members and their families to stop purchasing XL products. ( Well, I bloody well hope so-Molly )

CANADIAN LABOUR-SASKATCHEWAN:

SFL FILES CHARTER CHALLENGE AGAINST SASKATCHEWAN GOVERNMENT:

Ah yes, the new Saskatchewan Party (read conservative) government of the province of Saskatchewan lost little time in getting to work to erode workers' rights in Molly's old home province. But they have been challenged by the workers of that province, through protests and now through a court challenge claiming that Bills 5 and 6 violate Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms by denying free collective bargaining and the right to form unions. For more background see the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour website. Here's their press release.

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News Release
SFL Files Charter Challenge of Bills 5 and 6
for immediate release July 29th, 2008
Today the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) filed a Statement of Claim with
the Court of Queen’s Bench, launching a constitutional challenge of Bills 5 and 6.

The Bills were passed in the spring session of the legislature amid protest from workers
and their unions across the province. Union leaders argued that Bills 5 and 6 violate
workers’ rights to free collective bargaining and to organize new unions.

The SFL has campaigned against Bills 5 and 6 to demonstrate to the government the
damaging effects of its labour legislative agenda. Under the legal arm of the campaign,
the SFL will now argue in court that the Bills violate workers’ freedoms under the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The unions will similarly argue that the Bills violate international laws that protect
workers’ rights.

“Bills 5 and 6 reverse a sixty-five year history in our province of recognizing and
expanding workers’ right to organize in order to secure safe working conditions and
decent wages and benefits. The government cannot justify this rolling back of workers’
rights,” said SFL President Larry Hubich.

“In a world where corporate profits soar and income gaps and wage inequality are
widening at an alarming rate, workers need now more than ever the ability to collectively
bargain and to join unions. The labour movement is clear: we have no choice but to
stand up for workers and to defend their right to free collective bargaining,” added
Hubich.

The unions are asking the court to strike down Bills 5 and 6.

As of July 29th, eighteen unions have added their names as co-plaintiffs.

The SFL represents nearly 95,000 unionized workers from 37 affiliated unions in
Saskatchewan.
For more information contact Larry Hubich at 537-7330 or Cara Banks at 533-3423.