Bill 28 an assault on Manitoba workers

WINNIPEG, June 2, 2017 /CNW/ - The overnight assault on the rights of working people in Manitoba by the premier of that province shows that this is a government for the wealthy that is insensitive to the needs of most people, Unifor National President Jerry Dias says.

"The mean-spirited legislation, forced through the legislature into the wee hours of the night, cannot be allowed to stand," Dias said. "Unifor will continue to be active in pushing back."

The latest session of the Manitoba Legislature ended at around 3am today, with the passage of three bills attacking the rights of workers in the province: Bill 28 which imposes wage freezes on public sector workers, Bill 29 which forces union representation votes in health care, and Bill 19 which creates a new Crown corporation to manage how Manitobans use electricity.

Unifor is standing behind the rest of the labour movement in Manitoba as it fights back against the new legislation, said Unifor Western Regional Direct Joie Warnock.

"Brian Pallister has proven himself to be a premier for the wealthy, with legislation that will hurt the majority of people in Manitoba," Warnock said. "His government represents the worst session of government for working people in more than two decades."

While Alberta and Ontario move to a fair living wage of $15 per hour, the Manitoba government is mired in a regressive ideology that traps working Manitobans in poverty with its Bill 33 indexing minimum wage increases to inflation, Warnock said.

Unifor represents almost 13,000 workers in Manitoba, including more than 2,200 who will be directly affected by this legislation in the gaming industry, health care, and education.

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 310,000 workers. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union merged.

SOURCE Unifor

please contact Unifor Communications National Representative Stuart Laidlaw at [email protected] or (cell) 647-385-4054.