FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
PSAC Rallies Against Bill 29
WINNIPEG – Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and Union of Veterans Affairs Employees (UVAE, a component of PSAC) members and their supporters will gather today (Wednesday, July 4, 2018) at Deer Lodge Centre (11:00 am to 1:00 pm) in Winnipeg to protest the Pallister government’s Bill 29 and stand up for quality care for our veterans. Deer Lodge Centre is the largest rehabilitation and long term care facility in Manitoba, focused on providing care to Canada’s veterans.
“The 500 PSAC/UVAE members at Deer Lodge Centre provide high quality care to our veterans, and do so with respect,” said Marianne Hladun, Regional Executive Vice-President, PSAC Prairie Region. “They should be focused on this important and valuable work, not worrying about complicated and unnecessary representation votes.”
Bill 29 (The Health Sector Bargaining Union Review Act) will force health care workers in Manitoba into “representation votes” to determine what union will represent them in the future, instead of being represented by the union they have already freely chosen. While we do not agree that bargaining unit restructure is necessary to ensure quality patient care, we have participated with other health care unions in Manitoba to come to the table prepared to work with government.
“From day one, PSAC and other health sector unions have told the Pallister government that there are better solutions that can work for everyone,” said Hladun. “There is no need for this process to be conducted in Manitoba. The government has chosen to pit health care workers against each other instead of focusing on patient care.”
PSAC believes that priority of this government should be to ensure that our veterans receive the best possible care from employees who are focused on their needs and not on an unnecessary bargaining union restructure. Repeal Bill 29, and show respect for health care workers in Manitoba.
Guest speakers will be speaking at approx. 12:15 pm.
For More Information:
Thomas Linner
Regional Political Communications Officer
Public Service Alliance of Canada, Prairie Region
Cell: (204) 898-7002
Email: linnert@psac.com