Unifor has launched a new ‘Don’t Sell NL’ campaign in opposition to austerity measures proposed in The Big Reset report by Premier Andrew Furey’s Economic Recovery Team.

“The Big Reset recommendations focus on cutting jobs, slashing health care and other services, selling off and privatizing public assets, and other punishing austerity measures,” said Unifor Atlantic Regional Director Linda MacNeil.

“If allowed to happen, these measures will stifle economic growth, put control of public assets and services in the hands of corporations, and force young people and working families to relocate out of province.”

The new campaign calls on members to stop the Furey government from implementing recommendations that would sell away valuable assets owned by the citizens, sell off vital public services to be run at a profit by private corporations, and sell out the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Read Unifor’s release on The Big Reset report here.

Unifor has joined a coalition of unions that represent members in Newfoundland and Labrador to unite workers across the province in the fight to prevent the proposed austerity measures from becoming policy. Political lobbying and additional actions are currently in the planning process with information forthcoming.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a devastating toll on the economy, workers and families.

Newfoundland and Labrador needs increased investment in programs and growth sectors to stimulate recovery, not cuts that will move us backwards,” said MacNeil.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a devastating toll on the Canadian economy, workers and families.

Governments shut down businesses in order to curb the spread of the virus and save lives, leaving millions of laid off workers without income.

In March and April of last year alone, Canada lost nearly three (3) million jobs. Naturally, these workers turned to the one government program that was meant to help them during times of economic hardship—Employment Insurance (EI).

However, it soon became evident that Canada’s EI system, characterized by its restrictive eligibility criteria, low benefit rates and significant gaps in coverage, would not provide the safety net that unemployed workers needed.

EI only works when unemployed people can access it, but before COVID, only 40% of unemployed people were eligible.

This fact comes to no surprise for labour and community advocates – those championing fixes to restore EI benefits to protect workers, while modernizing it to reflect the realities of today’s increasingly precarious labour market.

Rebuilding Canada’s social safety net is a key component of building back better.

Campaign Update

In advance of the reopening of the General Motors assembly line in Oshawa, employers in the Durham region teamed up with Unifor’s Independent Parts Supplier (IPS) Action Centre for a virtual job fair on June 10.

After Unifor launched its fiercest campaign to date, fighting for and winning the preservation of the plant’s footprint, the union successfully negotiated the return of vehicle production to ‘Canada’s motor city’ back in September 2020. With the plant set to resume building light and heavy-duty trucks this summer, Unifor’s IPS Action Centre has been extremely busy connecting workers with employers across the region, giving them the support and resources needed to navigate the process.

The virtual job fair focused on connecting former Unifor members with regional unionised employers including Sobey’s retail support centre in Whitby, parts manufacturers Android Industries and Lear Corporation in Oshawa, auto sector logistics provider TFT Global, and facilities management service provider Robinson Solutions.

“So many of the job opportunities opening up in Oshawa directly related to the return of the GM Oshawa truck assembly line,” said Trisha Judges, one of the IPS Action Centre’s two Coordinators and former Chairperson of the CEVA Logistics clerical unit. “The job fair gave our unemployed workers the best opportunity to get their questions answered and find out specific information including timelines and expectations directly from employers during the ongoing pandemic.”

The IPS Action Centre supports a broad range of unemployed workers previously working in a variety of auto-related jobs including security services, logistics, parts manufacturing, and facilities management affected by the closure of the GM Oshawa assembly line. Both the region’s IPS employers and the Government of Ontario provide funding and Unifor locals 222, 1090, and 414 help support the Centre.

Since it first opened its doors in January 2020, the Centre’s peer-led staff have provided hundreds of unemployed workers with hands-on advice, tools, and information to navigate the complex and rapidly changing financial assistance measures and job market in a familiar space located at the Unifor Local 222 hall. With the arrival of the pandemic, the Centre’s staff were forced to adapt, moving many of its services online. Despite these limitations, the Centre’s community-based approach and dedicated staff have proved how vital the Centre’s services are to former Unifor members.

“Holding the job fair online was an unfortunate necessity. But our staff worked incredibly hard and made it a resounding success,” said Eva Guta, IPS Action Centre Coordinator and former Women’s Advocate at Lear Corporation Whitby. “The past two years were incredibly hard for so many of our former members in Oshawa and throughout the Durham region. Now, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel.”