June 24, 2020

OTTAWA – Unifor calls on governments to #BuildBackBetter and reveal a detailed plan to rebuild the economy in a virtual news conference live on Facebook.

“Tomorrow’s economy cannot look like the one that we left behind, where essential workers could barely get by on low wages, could not access sick pay, and where the social safety net failed them,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Eventually this crisis will end and we want to ensure that a more fair, inclusive, and resilient economy takes shape on the other side.”

Built on the principles of economic justice, the new recovery plan is based on consultation with rank-and-file members and includes dozens of recommendations targeting all levels of government.

The plan organizes policy recommendations into five themes:

• Build an income security system that is accessible
• Build sustainable green jobs and decarbonization
• Build critical physical and social infrastructure
• Rebuild domestic industrial capacity
• Set strong, enforceable conditions on corporate support packages

“The steps that governments take in the coming months and years will define workers’ well-being and progress for a generation,” said Renaud Gagné, Unifor Quebec Director. “It is vital that we get it right, and rebuild the economy not to what it once was, but to an economy that meets people’s needs no matter the crisis.”

Visit buildbackbetter.unifor.org to read the recommendations and download the Road Map for a Fair, Inclusive and Resilient Economic Recovery.