Labour Rights Calendar 2010

The calendar highlights many of the important victories and struggles the Canadian labour movement has encountered throughout our history.

If you like to receive a copy of the National Union's 2010 Labour Rights Calendar e-mail national@nupge.ca
 

Collective Bargaining in Canada:
Human Right or Canadian illusion?
2nd Edition

An assault on the rights of Canadian workers

In the past 28 years Canadians have seen a serious erosion of a fundamental and universal human right, their right to free collective bargaining and the right to strike. As a result, working families in Canada have experienced a real decline in their standard of living. The foundation for this site and our Labour Rights are Human Rights campaign is this book.  It and breaks it down into bite size chunks. It chronicles each of 177 pieces of restrictive labour legislation (since the book was published July 2006, there has been another 12 pieces of restrictive labour legislation passed by goverments in Canada). It examines the "human rights deficit" that this massive legislative assault on workers' rights has created for Canada.

And it also examines how Canada has not lived up to many of its international commitments to promote and protect workers' rights.

To enquire on how to get a copy, call 1-877-687-4322 or order here

Canada and the ILO - A NUPGE Backgrounder - PDF from nupge.ca
 

This backgrounder provides a detailed explanation of the ILO, its governance structure, investigative and supervisory bodies and the key international standards the ILO has developed to protect and promote labour rights around the world.  The document also examines poor record at respecting and adhering to the fundamental labour rights principles of the ILO.

Canada’s Shameful Secret Backgrounder 

Canada is one of the few countries in the world that has yet to ratify all eight of the international standards recognized as being fundamental to the rights of human beings at work.  These are the eight fundamental Conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and are recognized as being fundamental to the rights of human beings at work which have been ratified by the overwhelming majority of ILO member States.  Unfortunately,Canada hasyet to ratify those Conventions governing forced labour, the minimum age for working and the right to collective bargaining.

Canada’s Shameful Secret pamphlet

Canada is one of the few countries in the world that has yet to ratify all eight of the international standards recognized as being fundamental to the rights of human beings at work. These are the eight fundamental Conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and are recognized as being fundamental to the rights of human beings at work which have been ratified by the overwhelming majority of ILO member States. Unfortunately,Canada hasyet to ratify those Conventions governing forced labour, the minimum age for working and the right to collective bargaining.

This pamphlet invites Canadian to join the campaign to have Canadaformally ratify the three remaining ILO fundamental Conventions

Workers’ Bill of Rights

Are you concerned about the erosion of collective bargaining rights of working people in Canadaand committed to reversing this dangerous trend? If so, then make sure you get the elected leaders in your community to sign the Workers’ Bill of Rights, a pledge affirming that all workers have the right to join a union and bargain collectively.  

Labour Rights Are Human Rights

This primer frames labour rights asa critical component of human rights helping to protect and promote the social and economic well being of the human population. It examines how the erosion of labour rights weakens democracy and threatens the economic prosperity of a nation.

The Attack on Workers' Rights in Canada
A Public Sector Focus

In the past 28 years Canadians have seen a serious erosion of their right to organize into a union and engage in full and free collective bargaining. Every jurisdiction in Canada has experienced a major violation of the bargaining rights of its citizens.

Public sector workers are especially vulnerable because the government is their employer. Governments have access to power no other employer has - the power to change the law to suit themselves. This power has been much abused in Canada.

Governments have been much too eager to legislate their last bargaining position on their employees instead of engaging in the collective bargaining process.

Click here for a research paper that addresses how public sector workers have been the focus of the attack on workers' rights in Canada.
 

Supreme Courts says We Win

On June 8, 2007, the Supreme Court of Canada reversed 20 years of its own jurisprudence by ruling that the guarantee of freedom of association in section 2(d) of the Charter of Rights protects the right of Canadian workers to bargain collectively. This pamphlet (available as a PDF) examines the key arguments made by the Supreme Court justices and shows how they closely mirror the key themes of the National Union’s ongoing Labour Rights are Human Rights national campaign.

Sample Resolutions

The sustained attack on workers' rights in Canada has hurt the labour movement's ability to effectively represent the interests of organized workers. It also continues to hamper unions in trying to organize the unorganized.

Human rights cannot flourish where workers' rights are not enforced.

The time has come for the labour movement to respond:

• We must make fair labour laws a central part of labour's political agenda. We must reverse our government's poor record at respecting the freedom of association principles of the ILO.
• We must insist all governments in Canada give effect to the international human rights norms, which they have made a commitment to comply with.
• We need to pressure the Canadian government to actively encourage our provincial governments to put into practice the ILO international standards.

Click here to view a number of sample resolutions which address the need of the labour movement to take action in these areas. These resolutions can be adapted for submission to your Labour Council or to Conventions of your union and your provincial Federation of Labour.