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News that three Alberta workers have died in workplace accidents in three days is proof that the government must take concrete action now to save lives, says the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL).

"Unless concrete steps are taken to improve workplace safety in the province, more and more Albertans will die at work as the economy picks up," says Gil McGowan, president of the AFL, which represents 140,000 workers.

There were 76 occupational fatalities in the province as of July 31^st this year. At the same time last year, there were only 58 workplace fatalities reported.

"Alberta is one of the most dangerous places in Canada to be a worker," says McGowan. "We have more people working in dangerous industries than other provinces and we have a workplace fatality rate that's much higher than the national average."

The AFL has repeatedly called for simple and direct action to improve workplace safety and save lives, including posting the full safety records of employers online, as promised by the government eight years ago; increasing the province's dismal record for prosecuting employers whose unsafe worksites cause injury and death (the prosecution rate for workplace fatalities is 2.8 per cent); increasing the number of worksite inspections; giving inspectors the power to issue tickets for violations during inspections; and introducing mandatory worksite health-and-safety committees that include workers.

"What the government has offered instead is weak 10-point plan that focused on a safety-records website which offers little information of any use to workers and a promise to hire eight new inspectors," says McGowan.

"None of the measures advocated by the AFL are rocket science. They are tried-and-true methods that have proved effective in saving lives in other jurisdictions. Bearing in mind the deaths of the last few days and the Auditor General's recent report slamming OH&S procedures, it is impossible to understand why these changes have not been implemented," says McGowan.

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Media Contact:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour @ 780-218-9888 (cell)

The province isn't doing enough to prevent deaths at the workplace.

Those comments come from the Alberta Federation of Labour after three people died on the job in the past week.

AFL President Gil McGowan says a website that posts information about an company's health and safety record doesn't go far enough because it doesn't contain the results of an inspection.

"The ministry has chosen to post something that they call a lost time claims ratio, which only covers about 15 per cent of recorded workplace injuries. Eighty-five per cent of injuries are not captured," he says.

McGowan welcomes more inspectors to keep tabs on worksites, but he says the new hires don't go far enough.

"Alberta has a higher proportion of people working in dangerous occupations like construction, oil and gas, and other high risk industries than other provinces do."

The AFL says there were workplace 76 deaths as of July 31st this year, up from 58 last year.

iNews880AM, Mon Oct 18 2010

The death of a temporary foreign worker in Alberta is raising questions about who should pay to ship his body home.

Aruna Shantha Peiris, 37, died of a heart attack two weeks ago. The Sri Lankan worked at Denny's Restaurant. Now his friends are trying to raise enough money - about $10,000 - to send his body home to his widow.

Lal Weera, a member of Edmonton's Sri Lankan community, called the Alberta government for help.

"I talked to Service Alberta and I asked this question, 'Who's responsible to pay the money to send his body?' So they say they don't have any clue."

An official with Alberta Employment and Immigration told CBC News repatriating the body is a federal responsibility. The federal government has not responded to inquiries from the CBC.

In the meantime, community members have raised $6,000. Weera said it's a shame the government isn't stepping up.

"You know from my eyes I can see there's no human rights for these people," he said.

The Alberta Federation of Labour said the confusion is typical of the temporary foreign worker program.

"There are almost no safeguards at all for people and for workers who unfortunately die here, there's nothing," said Yesse Byl, a foreign worker advocate with the AFL.

"There's no responsibility for the government or the employer to reunite the family with the body. There's just simply nothing."

CBC, Mon Oct 18 2010

New poll shows massive support for pension reform

• More than three quarters of Canadians support increasing Canada Pension Plan benefits, according to a new national survey released today by Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Public Service Alliance of Canada. For more information ... To learn more about the campaign for pension reform and events being organized by the Alberta Federation of Labour and Canadian Labour Congress, go to ...

Why the right wins ... and how we can stop them

• Albertans have a long history of electing right-wing governments. This has seriously affected the quality of our public debate and hampered our efforts to unionize and represent workers. How can progressives slay this political giant? To find out how, the AFL is bringing in George Lakoff, the communications mastermind behind the U.S. presidential campaign of Barack Obama. For more details ...

Drop undemocratic changes to Alberta's health laws

• Friends of Medicare has launched a campaign to persuade Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky to abandon plans to change provincial health laws, after a legal opinion commissioned by the AFL said the proposals were "not consistent with a democratic society." For more information ...

• Send a letter to Zwozdesky ...

Government's safety records website gets failing grade

• Alberta's new website offering workplace injury and fatality records may be well intentioned, but presents only a bewildering array of statistics and little useful information for workers, says the AFL. For more information ...

Urgent Action

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Support U of A janitors in struggle for justice

• A group of janitors at the University of Alberta is suing a cleaning company for tens of thousands of dollars, claiming that overtime money has not been paid. The janitors, many of whom are temporary foreign workers, say they have been threatened with deportation by their employer, University of Alberta contractor Bee Clean Building Maintenance. Show your support at an event at the University of Alberta, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 19, Education Building Room 106, University of Alberta North Campus. For details of the event ... For information and to sign a pledge in support of the workers, go to http://www.j4jatuofa.org/

Events

 

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• October 25, 2010 - CLC Pension Campaign Lobby Training Session, Edmonton

• October 28/29, 2010 - George Lakoff Lecture/Workshop, Edmonton

• November 5-7, 2010 - AB New Democratic Convention, Red Deer

• November 16, 2010 - AFL Lobby Day, Edmonton

• November 19-21, 2010 - Parkland Fall Conference, Edmonton

• November 27, 2010 - AFL Pension Summit, Edmonton

• December 5, 2010 - AFL Women's Committee Commemorative Brunch, Edmonton

Did you know ...

 

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An analysis by the AFL of Alberta government spending shows that it has cut expenditure on environmental monitoring, while spending on public relations has soared. The research revealed:

• 26% drop in spending on environmental monitoring, compliance, and enforcement. Alberta spent $27 million on monitoring, enforcement, and compliance programs in 2003. Budget 2010 projects Alberta Environment will spend $20 million this year.
• 54% increase in spending on public relations since 2003. The Communications line for Alberta Environment grew from $717,000 in 2003 to $1.1 million for 2010.
• 57% increase in spending by the Minister, Deputy Minister, and Communications from a combined total of $1.4 million in 2003 to a projected $2.2 million in 2010.

For more information ...

 

Legal opinion commissioned by Alberta Federation of Labour says proposed changes are "not consistent with a democratic society."

Edmonton (14 Oct. 2010) - Friends of Medicare (FoM) has launched a new campaign to persuade Alberta Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky to abandon proposed changes to provincial health laws.

"It's time to move on from the unpopular and discredited policies of former Health Minister Ron Liepert and his Advisory Committee on Health and abandon proposed changes to the laws governing health care in Alberta," says David Eggen, executive director of FoM.

"It's clear that Albertans care deeply about health care and don't want or need existing laws and protections to be weakened or removed."

The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) commissioned a legal opinion from Gwen Gray of Chivers Carpenter LLP, who examined the existing provincial legislation and the proposed changes.

She found that current laws do a good job of protecting the publicly-funded, publicly-delivered health care system that Albertans want. The legal opinion also finds that protections against private health care are contained within Alberta's laws, not the Canada Health Act.

The legal opinion concludes that changing Alberta's health laws would significantly weaken Albertans' protections against private insurance, extra billing and U.S.-style private hospitals.

The changes proposed by the Minister's Advisory Committee on Health would scrap all existing health care laws - including protections against privatization -  and replace them with what is known as "enabling legislation."

The health minister could make new health care laws without even having a debate in the legislature. The legal opinion concludes that the plan for putting health care laws into regulations is "not consistent with a democratic society."

AFL president Gil McGowan says:

"We believe that Zwozdesky shares the concern of Albertans about protecting our public health care system. The revisions to provincial health laws planned by his predecessor sparked legitimate fears among the citizens of this province. It's time for Zwozdesky to make a clean break from those discredited ideas and embark on a new path that will reassure Albertans that the future of health care is in safe hands," McGowan argues.

"This is far too great a risk to public health care," adds Eggen. "Perhaps Zwozdesky might be able to assure us that he won't allow more private health care, but he cannot make that reassurance about future health ministers. They would have the power to do whatever they wished, without public consultation or even debate in the legislature."

Many organizations are members and supporters of Friends of Medicare, including the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE).

NUPGE Newsletter, Thurs Oct 14 2010

Ben Stacey of Grand Bank is a journeyman pipefitter and pipe insulator, who travels back and forth between Newfoundland and Alberta for work.

He's been doing this since 2007, working at places like the Marystown Shipyard and taking jobs out west when there's no local work available.

Following in his father's footsteps, his son has completed nine months of College and is now a first-year apprentice, but Mr. Stacey said his search for work has been discouraging.

Although he's also willing to work outside the province, Mr. Stacey said no one seems to be hiring apprentices in this province or elsewhere because they want experienced workers.

And, on top of this, he contended the hiring of more foreign workers recently in Alberta is reducing the number of jobs for Newfoundlanders, who have traditionally migrated to Western Canada to work.

Apprentices need hours of work and experience to obtain a journeyman's certificate. They also need work to pay off student loans, which Mr. Stacey said can be as high as $12,000 to $13,000 for a nine-month course at a private college.

Mr. Stacey said his son has "bombarded Alberta with resumes, Quebec and everywhere in Newfoundland and, still nothing."

He recently got a job with an aerodynamics company in Grand Bank.

But Mr. Stacey said, there's not much work in his hometown and, previously, he was working at a local fast food takeout.

Mr. Stacey has been collecting e-mails about apprentices with similar stories.

"These kids, after a couple of years of frustration, they go into a rut. I've talked to several of them personally."

He believes both levels of government have "hung these kids out to dry," because they were encouraged to go to school and get a trade and, now, there's no work for them.

He worries jobs in Alberta for Canadian tradespeople, especially apprentices, will continue to decline as the number of foreign workers rise.

Mr. Stacey said he's witnessed this first hand. He said he was laid off recently in Alberta, while about 80 to 90 Filipino workers were still on the job.

He said being an experienced journeyman, he can usually find work on other projects, but young apprentices are not so fortunate.

He insisted this issue has nothing to do with race or racism.

"These people are wonderful to work with. But that's not the issue. The issue is our people are having to stay home."

The Alberta government estimates more than 60,000 temporary foreign workers currently work and live in that province.

Mr. Stacey suspected companies are hiring foreign workers to cut costs. He said he's witnessed some foreign workers in Alberta working 20 days straight, and only taking two days off, then working another 20-day period.

Mr. Stacey indicated Newfoundland tradespeople in Alberta normally work a 20-day stint and are flown home for eight days. He suggested by employing foreign workers who expect less, the companies are saving the cost of airfare and six days' leave for each worker.

Mr. Stacey said he's taken a lot of applications to Alberta to try to help young Newfoundland apprentices get work, and finds it disturbing Canadian tradespeople are "sitting home," while foreigners are being brought into the country.

He recalled at one time this could only happen if it was proven a worker with a particular skill wasn't available in Canada.

This issue is not only being debated among unemployed tradespeople in Newfoundland.

The Alberta Federation of Labour, in a release Sept. 3, called for the 'Temporary Foreign Worker' program to be scrapped. The program, which stems from an agreement between the federal and provincial governments, was designed to help employers fill temporary jobs during Alberta's boom period.

The labour federation in that province, however, claimed the program has become "so dysfunctional that it needs to be scrapped."

Secretary-treasurer Nancy Furlong said tens of thousands of undocumented foreign workers are becoming an "underground workforce," vulnerable to abuse.

Ms. Furlong said "Almost three-quarters of employers of temporary foreign workers inspected by the province in the past year violated employment standards, according to documents released earlier this year by the Alberta NDP.

We also know that many foreign workers have to pay illegal fees of thousands of dollars to recruitment agencies, are forced to work unpaid overtime and live in substandard housing with exorbitant rents, and are misled into thinking they will be able to apply for citizenship in Canada."

She has suggested the Alberta government scrap the program and replace it with immigration through regular channels.

The Alberta government announced in September it was investing $850,000 to immigrant-serving agencies to provide services to temporary foreign workers as they adjust to life and work in Alberta.

At the same time, the province said it would look at the impact of the arrival of thousands of temporary foreign workers on Alberta's workforce, its communities and its people to identify future programming options.

Employment and Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk said while the focus will "always be jobs for Albertans and Canadians first, it is important that we recognize the contributions of temporary foreign workers to our province - making them feel welcome and included in our communities is simply the right thing to do."

Mr. Lukaszuk said he has asked his parliamentary assistant Teresa Woo-Paw to lead a review of the impact of the program on Alberta and present her findings and recommendations by spring 2011.

Mr. Stacey said he has contacted provincial and federal politicians and plans to present information he's collected from other people in this province to both levels of government.

He's already heard from apprentice steamfitters, pipefitters, pipe insulators, heavy equipment operators, electricians and other tradespeople who find work.

One person, who finished an industrial instrumentation technician program at the College of the North Atlantic in 2009, said he has had no luck yet getting any work in his trade.

A mother told Mr. Stacey her son and two of his friends completed electrical and commercial trades last year and can't find work, despite all three having above 85 averages.

He said one man he's spoken with actually has three trades and still can't find work.

Mr. Stacey explained when student loans are due and there's no work to be found, often the only option is to go back to school and take more courses, with the hope of eventually landing a job. Otherwise these tradespeople have no means to pay off their student debt.

St. John's Telegram, Wed Oct 13 2010
Byline: Deana Stokes Sullivan

 

Two advocacy groups say the proposed Alberta Health Act will be a piece of "shell legislation" that will give politicians the power to privatize health care without any public debate.

Friends of Medicare and the Alberta Federation of Labour say the province is planning to overhaul health laws so the important parts are in the regulations, not in the law itself. Regulations can be changed by ministers at any time, behind closed doors, while laws must be debated in the public forum of the legislature.

"Albertans spoke out loud and clear during the spring and summer; they wanted their public health system improved, not dismantled," said David Eggen, executive director of Friends of Medicare.

"We believe the Alberta Health Act has national implications, making a piece of shell legislation that can attack the fundamental principles of the protection of health care in each of the provinces of this country."

Eggen said his organization, along with the Alberta Federation of Labour, will launch a campaign to persuade Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky to move away from this kind of "enabling legislation" and "blaze his own trail" in health care by improving the current system to give Albertans better health care.

Zwozdesky said his critics are misleading the public.

"People should wait until they see the act when it is introduced in the legislature before they start scaring people with misleading information," he said. "It's time for that to stop."

He said the government has listened to Albertans, who say they want meaningful involvement in a publicly funded universal healthcare system, along with a health charter and a health advocate.

"Let me be perfectly clear -- we are not privatizing health care. The premier has made that clear. I have made that clear."

Asked if the new law would open the door to privatized care, he said "absolutely not."

The organizations have obtained a legal opinion that says the proposed changes to the health act are "not consistent with a democratic society."

Lawyer Gwen Gray said that contrary to popular belief, protection against the privatization of health care is contained in provincial laws, not the federal Canada Health Act. As a result, she said that a promise to abide by the Canada Health Act doesn't guarantee the province won't legalize private health care.

"The Canada Health Act guarantees the existence of a public healthcare system for all Canadians. It is silent on whether there is a parallel private system for the wealthy that can be purchased, with private insurance, from doctors who opt-out of the public system," she wrote in the four-page summary.

"It is the Alberta laws that make a private health-care market impossible, and it is those laws the Minister's Advisory Committee on Health is proposing to change."

AFL president Gil McGowan said Albertans should be concerned that the province's health laws are about to undergo radical reform.

"Consolidation of existing legislation under a new Alberta Health Act is far from mere administrative housekeeping. It has the potential to be something much closer to radical reform.

"The kind of reform envisioned by the former minister, Ron Liepert, and the advisory committee, could dramatically undermine the ability of Albertans to have a say in the shape of their health-care system."

Edmonton Journal, Wed Oct 13 2010
Byline: Karen Kleiss

EDMONTON - Medicare and labour groups want Alberta to shelve planned changes to laws that govern the province's health-care system.

The Friends of Medicare says the new Alberta Health Act to be introduced this fall would make it easier for the government to expand private health insurance.

Executive director Dave Eggen says it would also make it easier for the province to de-list health services from medicare coverage, a move that would force Albertans to pay out of pocket for some services.

The Alberta Federation of Labour has also released a legal review of the province's existing health laws, which limit the use of private medical insurance.

The review says the province's existing laws do a good job of protecting public health care.

Alberta Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky is to respond to a government-commissioned review of the health system by the end of next week.

Department officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The changes proposed by the Minister's Advisory Committee on Health would scrap all existing health care laws - including protections against privatization - and replace them with what is known as "enabling legislation." The Health Minister could make new health care laws without even having a debate in the Legislature. The legal opinion concludes that the plan for putting health care laws into regulations is "not consistent with a democratic society."

Lethbridge Herald, Tues Oct 12 2010

Edmonton - Friends of Medicare (FoM) today launches a new campaign to persuade Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky to abandon proposed changes to provincial health laws.

"It's time to move on from the unpopular and discredited policies of former Health Minister Ron Liepert and his advisory committee on health and abandon proposed changes to the laws governing health care in Alberta," says David Eggen, executive director of FoM. "It's clear the Albertans care deeply about health care and don't want or need existing laws and protections to be weakened or removed."

The Alberta Federation of Labour commissioned a legal opinion (click here for AFL summary) from Gwen Gray of Chivers Carpenter LLP, who examined the existing provincial legislation and the proposed changes. She found our current laws do a good job of protecting the publicly funded, publicly delivered health-care system that Albertans want. The opinion also finds that protections against private health care are contained within Alberta's laws, not the Canada Health Act. The legal opinion concludes that changing Alberta's health laws would significantly weaken Albertans' protections against private insurance, extra billing, and U.S.-style private hospitals.

The changes proposed by the Minister's Advisory Committee on Health would scrap all existing health care laws - including protections against privatization -  and replace them with what is known as "enabling legislation." The Health Minister could make new health-care laws without even having a debate in the Legislature. The legal opinion concludes that the plan for putting health-care laws into regulations is "not consistent with a democratic society."

AFL president Gil McGowan says: "We believe that Zwozdesky shares the concern of Albertans about protecting our public health-care system. The revisions to provincial health laws planned by his predecessor sparked legitimate fears among the citizens of this province. It's time for Zwozdesky to make a clean break from those discredited ideas and embark on a new path that will reassure Albertans that the future of health care is in safe hands."

"This is far too great a risk to public health care," says Eggen. "Perhaps Zwozdesky might be able to assure us that he won't allow more private health care, but he cannot make that reassurance about future health ministers. They would have the power to do whatever they wished, without public consultation or even debate in the Legislature."

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Media Contact:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour, 780-218-9888

David Eggen, Executive Director, Friends of Medicare, 780-887-0446

Gwen Gray, Chivers Carpenter LLP, 780-4393611

 

Friends of Medicare and the Alberta Federation of Labour are joining forces in an effort to derail the proposed Alberta Health Act, which is expected to be introduced this fall in the legislature.

The healthcare lobby group and the province's largest union claim the new legislation will make it easier for the government to expand the use of private health insurance and de-list health services from Medicare coverage.

The Executive Director of Friends of Medicare tells 660News the proposed Alberta Health Act will weaken existing laws and won't do anything to fix the problems people want addressed.

"Work with what you have and get down to solving the practical problems that our healthcare system is also wanting in, which is wait times, access to a doctor and acute care beds," says David Eggen.

Eggen tells 660News Albertans who are concerned about where health care is headed need to speak out and now.

Alberta's health minister will respond to the government-commissioned review of the health system next week.

660News, Tues Oct 12 2010
By: Kevin Usselman and Lisa Grant