Government workers to protest employer's opening contract offer

THUNDER BAY, ON, Nov. 26, 2014 /CNW/ - Workers in the Ontario Public Service, represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, will protest at the Ontario Government Building after receiving the opening bargaining proposals from the Ontario government.

Date:	Thursday, November 27, 2014
Time:	12 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
Location:	Ontario Government Building
	189 Red River Road

OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas said that the opening offer from the government is nothing but a blueprint to completely dismantle Ontario's public services.

"Years of cost cutting and layoffs in the public sector have reduced services and workers to the bare minimum," Thomas said. "Our province already spends less per person on public services than any other province does. Now, Premier Kathleen Wynne plans to throw open the doors to eliminate more public sector jobs, and outsource most of the services."

Thomas said that when it comes to value for money, there is no government policy of the past 20 years that has a worse record than privatizing and outsourcing public services.

"For example, IT consultants cost more than twice as much as OPSEU-represented IT employees," Thomas said. "We estimate the government could save at least $200 million a year by contracting IN their IT services.

"The opening bargaining proposals from the Ontario government are nowhere even close to acceptable," Thomas said. "We will not stand idly by and watch the public services that so many Ontarians rely on get slashed and dismantled, while costing the taxpayers even more."

OPSEU represents all frontline Ministry employees who work directly for the Ontario government. The current collective agreement expires Dec. 31, 2014.

SOURCE: Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU)

Warren (Smokey) Thomas: 416-443-8888; Tom Berube, OPSEU Mobilizer: 807-621-8799