Harper is at it again. Remember his government’s attempt in November to roll back the federal female-dominated public sector workers salaries – shades of Campbell’s illegal action with HEU? It sparked the grand debate and we almost had a coalition government. You can’t keep a public-spirited misogynist down, though (oxymoron?). Bring on the drum roll – it’s the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act – a bill developed to keep women down and particularly women in unions down, forever. And why should this be?
This law has been tucked into part of the federal budget. It looks like human rights pay equity legislation for women but is designed to kill pay equity.
It will remove the right of public sector workers to file complaints for pay equity with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. It will transform pay equity from a human right to an “equitable compensation issue” that could be traded away at the bargaining table.
It will confine pay equity to collective agreement negotiations, where the federal government has shown its willingness to legislate wage increases and undermine collective agreements.
The Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act will effectively eliminate womens ability to pursue pay equity complaints by forcing them to file complaints as individuals.
This bill will also impose a $50,000 fine on any union that encourages or assists their own members in filing a pay equity complaint, leaving women to fight the system unaided. Since no individual can afford to do so, this will clearly be a mockery of justice.
E-Mail, Phone, Knock on your MP’s door now. Let them know we are banding together to bury this law before it takes us back to having no status as people, just chattel. Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act
We cannot vote for any party that would pass the budget with this law in it. Here are some websites. Get to work, everybody. Pass the word around.
http://cupe.ca/takeAction.php?action=showAction&actionID=158
You can follow this link or go the CLC website
(www.canadianlabour.ca
) and click on “The Conservative
government is planning to take away women’s right to pay equity.”
http://canadianlabour.ca/en/the-conservative-government-planning-take-away-women-s-right-pay-equity
Aussi dispolible en francais.
http://canadianlabour.ca/fr/canadian-labour-congress-action-centre/le-gouvernement-conservateur-projette-d-liminer-le-droit-des-
BE PART OF THE 52% SOLUTION – Vote for representatives that like women.
Please circulate widely.