Unifor delivered message at a Hamilton hearing on Bill 148 Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act that income inequality and the dramatic rise in insecure work must end.
"The current low-wage, part-time and contract-to-contract job market has led to a grim reality of precarious work and inequality," said Unifor Ontario regional director Naureen Rizvi. "Bill 148 takes important steps to address the gaps that characterizes so much of today's workplace but the legislation needs to go further to protect Ontario workers."
On behalf of its more than 160,000 Ontario members, Unifor also organized members to speak at hearings around the province in Thunder Bay, North Bay, Ottawa, Kingston, Windsor, London and Niagara. Today the union submitted its written recommendations on Bill 148 to the Standing Committee of Finance and Economic Affairs urging the government to adopt some meaningful improvements to the legislation to fully achieve fairness.
Unifor's key recommendations include:
- Extending card-based certification to all sectors: the example of retail
- Extending successorship rights to all contracted services: the example of school bus services
- Extending broader based collective bargaining structures
- Establishing a designated paid leave for survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence
- Protecting injured workers from unintended consequences of higher minimum wages
Read Unifor's full submission to the Standing Committee of Finance and Economic Affairs at www.unifor.org/bill148
"Unifor is calling on the government to ensure that the Fair Workplace, Better Jobs Act truly raises the floor for all Ontario workers and creates lasting conditions for decent work and that starts with the implementation of a $15 minimum wage," said Rizvi. "Let this be an important moment in Ontario's history."
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 310,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights; fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad; and strives to create progressive change for a better future.