THUNDER BAY – Unionized workers who negotiate contracts on behalf of Ontario’s public sector union feel “unsafe at work” and they’re prepared to strike over it.
Local Ontario Public Service Staff Union (OPSSU) members held an information picket over the lunch hour on Wednesday outside of the office of their employer, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).
The action comes on the first day of conciliation between OPSSU and OPSEU after OPSSU members gave their leadership a 68 per cent strike mandate. It was the first time members had rejected a tentative collective bargaining agreement in 20 years.
OPSSU chief steward Jim Gilbert said a survey of his members taken earlier this year showed concerns over workplace safety.
With little faith in the mental health provisions of Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, OPSSU leadership is striving to include that language in its labour contract.
“The biggest response was, people weren’t feeling psychologically safe at work,” Gilbert said.
“They didn’t have confidence in the reporting mechanisms when they had issues to deal with and they wanted it addressed. Unfortunately, the employer didn’t want to deal with that at the bargaining table.”
Gilbert added the rising number of temporary workers OPSEU is employing has compounded the issue. Of the 355 OPSSU staff across the province, 95 positions are now temporary.
“We have temporary staff that are sometimes fearful for any potential repercussions of doing any type of action along with us,” he said.
“That ties into the issues we want discussed at the bargaining table.”
Conciliation efforts between the two parties will continue so long as progress is being made. Gilbert appealed to the solidarity instincts of his union employer, hopeful a contract can be reached.
“(OPSEU) should be setting the example out there to all the employers to hold out as a shining light as to what workers can expect from their employers and we would demand nothing less than what we would demand for OPSEU members working for their OPSEU representative employers.”
No one at OPSEU was immediately available for comment.
