FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                    AUGUST 26, 2001

OTTAWA – 

Angry and frustrated with the slow pace of negotiations, and the government’s unwillingness to deal with their ‘Lay Day’ day issue, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members employed as Ships Crews (part of the Table 2 Operational Services Group) walked off the job in Atlantic Canada and Ontario at 12:01 this morning.

"Despite a strong recommendation from the independent chair of the Table 2 Conciliation Board, the Treasury Board and the Coast Guard have refused, point blank, to ensure that Ships Crews receive a full year’s pay without having to use vacation leave" says PSAC National Executive Vice-President John Gordon. "As a result, a number of PSAC members employed as Ships Crews walked off the job, and are prepared to picket Coast Guard ships until the employer comes to its senses, tables and agrees to contract language that protects the vacation leave entitlement of our members," adds Gordon.

"The issue is one of fairness and respect," according to John Fox, a PSAC member from Halifax.

"The government arbitrarily changed the ‘Lay Day’ system when it legislated us back to work in
1997. Since then, a growing number of Ships Crews workers have been required to use part of their vacation leave to ensure that they receive a full year’s pay," says Fox.

"The government of Canada is practicing a double standard," says Mike Wing, National President of the Union of Canadian Transport Employees (UCTE), a Component of the PSAC. "Officers on board Canadian Coast Guard Ships do not face the same discriminatory treatment that our members face. Moreover, while management has repeatedly acknowledged the problem, the government is still refusing to address the issue properly at the bargaining table."

A number of government of Canada ships including the Leonard J. Cowley, Ann Harvey, Cornwallis, Provo Wallis, Vigilance, Cumella, Partridge Island, Matthew, Alexander, Hudson, Griffon, Cove Isle and Samuel Risley are currently being struck in a number of east coast and Ontario ports. Other government ships on the east and west coasts are headed to port and will be struck when they reach their destinations. They include the W.E. Ricker, the John P. Tully and the Alfred Needler.

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For information: 

John Gordon, PSAC National Executive Vice-President (613) 560-4310 
Mike Wing, UCTE National President (613) 238-4003, ext. 31 
John Fox, PSAC member (902) 471-7278 
Todd Woytiuk, PSAC regional representative (519) 659-1124 

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