/R E P E A T -- Unifor to hold national 'Good Jobs Summit'/

TORONTO, Oct. 4, 2013 /CNW/ - Unifor, Canada's newest union, will organize a national, multi-stakeholder summit on good jobs in 2014. The announcement is being made in conjunction with the 2013 World Day for Decent Work, which takes place October 7.

In a statement released today, Unifor President Jerry Dias said the union will organize the summit so that "a conversation about creating and sustaining decent work can start in earnest."

"We need elected officials to help chart a path towards a good jobs future," Dias wrote. "We need to start raising expectations that we can win jobs that pay fair wages, are safe and stable. And we want all workers in Canada to join in."

Dias said the union will actively seek out partners to co-host the summit, representing Canada's broader civil society, including labour, First Nations, non-governmental organizations, business and government.

Dias notes that Canadians have witnessed a marked decline in the quality of jobs on offer.  He notes that part-time work makes up nearly 1 in 5 of all jobs (the highest ever) and that temporary work is growing twice as fast as permanent work, mostly as a result of the growth in short-term and contract jobs.

"There isn't a sector of our economy where workers aren't threatened with having their jobs outsourced," Dias wrote.  "The past year has also shown us how corporations misuse and abuse foreign worker programs, to help drag down work standards."

To build momentum in the lead up to the jobs summit, Unifor is launching a national outreach strategy encouraging Canadians to reflect on their jobs and how to improve them. This includes a pan-Canadian billboard campaign, under the banner "Join the Good Jobs Revolution," as well as a social media campaign under the hashtag (#GoodJobsRev).

Billboards will be launched on October 7 in Halifax (6331 Lady Hammond Road), Montreal (De Bleury/Rene Levesque), Toronto (Gardiner Expressway, Kipling Avenue), Edmonton (103A Avenue/ 97 Street) and Vancouver (Hastings Street/Columbia Street).

For more information on the initiative, and to read the full statement, visit: http://www.unifor.org/en/take-action/campaigns/join-good-jobs-revolution

Image with caption: "Unifor billboard artwork scheduled to run in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver on October 7, 2013 (CNW Group/Unifor)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20131007_C7437_PHOTO_EN_31718.jpg

SOURCE: Unifor

Contact Unifor Communications: Shannon Devine [phone]; Katie Arnup [phone] or Stuart Laidlaw [phone]