PSAC federal budget fightback
Message from John Gordon: workplace fight-back campaign against job cuts
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
The Harper government has declared war against federal public sector workers and PSAC is fighting back.
We will not allow the Conservatives to punish workers in a wrong-headed attempt to fix a financial crisis that is not our making. We will stand up for PSAC members in workplaces, on Parliament Hill and in the streets. But we need your help. Last month’s Speech from the Throne and Federal Budget contained plenty of attacks that will negatively impact on the work of PSAC members across the country, at the federal, territorial and provincial levels. This includes a freeze on all departmental budgets and spending, as well as the goal of finding $17.6 billion in savings over the next five years – “savings” being of course Conservative code for cuts and reductions in programs and services.
We are already seeing the impact of the federal budget on our members and the services they provide. In the Atlantic, 149 term and casual employees at Citizenship and Immigration’s Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia were just laid off. In Ottawa, the CEO of the Museum of Civilization and War Museum announced that any open jobs would remain unfilled. And the government just announced that it will be closing Canadian Human Rights Commission offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax.
This is just the beginning.
It’s clear that Harper is attempting to position his government to win a majority in the next federal election. We all must be working to not only save public sector jobs and protect public services, but also mobilizing to ensure Harper’s goal is never realized.
This is a job for all of us. As workers, we must be engaged in our workplaces and at community and national levels. This is not a short-term campaign – our work to protect public services and deny Harper a majority government is going to take perseverance and determination.
Sisters and brothers, we have to fight.
We must fight any cuts and reductions to public services and to the workers that provide them. We must enforce our job security rights in collective agreements. We must all speak out against cuts – to family, friends, co-workers and managers. Our message is loud and clear: we need public services now more than ever!
Don’t assume that this doesn’t affect you – because it does, both as a worker and as a user of public services.
This kit is designed to help you understand the impact of the federal budget on workers, provide you with tools for tracking the impact of job cuts in your workplace, and give you suggestions on how to get involved in the fight to defend public services.
Our success will come down to the strength of our membership. This government needs to feel the heat from all across the country. We know that our members are active and strong. Working together, we can make this happen!
In Solidarity,
John Gordon
National President
Date Modified : 2010/05/05
