Satinder Bains
Southern Saskatchewan Geographical Representative
I was acclaimed as the PRC Rep for the South Saskatchewan when Brother Steve VanOpstal resigned in the last quarter of his term. Now I been elected as the new PRC Rep for Area Council in South Sask.
I continue to attend and work with the Regina Human Rights and Regina Area Council committees and attended the meetings on regular bases. I also had a chance to attend the PSAC National Equity Conference in Ottawa in November 2013.
The PSAC National Equity Conference addressed the importance of solidarity and that concerns of the workers are shared concerns. The main issues are Labor and Migration, Aboriginal Workers, Women, Workers of Color, Workers with Disabilities, Young Workers and Pride in the conference. The message of the conference encourage our members, workplace and future leaders to play active role in helping all our workers to become even more powerful in the workplace. The conference recognized and made me more determined to change the Conservative policies which affect aboriginal and radicalized communities, for LGBT communities and for the people living with disabilities and for women. I believe the message is to share and look at ways to built a strong, diverse and inclusive work force.
The knowledge from the conference and workshops I attended gave me ideas to share with my members, components and community to promote the Human Rights, equity rights of color, Aborginals, LGBT and dealing with conflicts in the workplace. Increase knowledge to strategies to increase the access of workers of color, LGBT, women and Aboriginal to the Canadian labor force. Others issues for I will be interested in are related to promotion, access to training and apprenticeship programs and the recognition of international credentials.
For myself, this was a learning experience and I am happy to say we have a lot activist’s to network with from all parts of Canada who work in different governments, department, agencies, unions who share the same values and concerns. In my union position capacities I feel I have a network in place to pass on the importance of our National equity conference agenda.
In Solidarity,
Satinder Bains