PSAC Home | 2002 news releases | 2001 news releases | français
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 8, 2002
PSAC Files Health & Safety Complaint
OTTAWA-Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), working for Parks Canada, have filed a complaint with the Labour Operations division of Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) in an attempt to get their employer to live up to their obligations regarding health and safety under Part II of the Canada Labour Code (the “Code”).
“The complaint was filed to get the employer’s attention”, explains Heather Brooker, President of National Component, a component of the PSAC. “We are sick and tired of trying to explain the legislation to the management of Parks Canada. The law is very clear to us: Our representatives on joint health and safety committees have the right to be full participants in the development of health and safety policies and programmes in the work place. Unfortunately, Parks Canada fails to understand that we are more than just interested observers of the process”.
The PSAC decided to file a complaint on October 24th when members of the Parks Canada National Occupational Health and Safety (NOHS) policy committee were presented with a status report on an “officer safety assessment” of the duties and responsibilities of national park wardens. The study calls for the wardens to resume their role in protecting national park resources. The RCMP assumed this role when a Labour Canada Health and Safety Officer ordered Parks Canada to find ways to protect park wardens from danger.
In May of this year, a decision by the Canada Appeals Office on Occupational Health and Safety found that Parks Canada should conduct such an assessment “in close consultation” with the NOHS policy committee in accordance with the Code.
The problem with the assessment is that there was no such consultation - let alone, participation - of the employee representatives on the NOHS policy committee. “Enough is enough”, says Brooker, “At a NOHS meeting in June, we demanded to part of the process of identifying the ways and means of reducing, if not, eliminating any and all risks to Parks Canada employees. To find out in October that management conducted a study without any input from us at all is unacceptable”.
The complaint alleges that Parks Canada is in contravention of both the Code and the Appeals Office decision and calls for an immediate investigation into the complaint as well as compliance by the employer with the relevant sections of the Code.
“This is the straw that broke the camel’s back. The management of Parks Canada has once again demonstrated its blatant disregard for meaningful consultation in all areas of union/management relations. This attitude has a detrimental affect not only upon park wardens, but all union members. The National Component and the Public Service Alliance of Canada will not tolerate this approach in any area of union/management relations, especially when our members’ health and safety is at stake”, concludes Brooker.
HRDC has acknowledged receipt of the complaint, but has not yet begun its investigation.
- 30 -
For information: Heather Brooker, President, National Component (613) 560-4301
40-081102