Time to stand up for striking workers: Atamanenko
By Nelson Daily Staff
Anyone who truly believes in democratic principles should be outraged the federal government’s response to Air Canada’s employee strike action is to threaten back to work legislation, said the West Kootenay’s MP.
BC Southern Interior MP Alex Atamanenko said the government’s action will criminalize the employee’s job action.
“This is an unprecedented assault on labour rights and should be firmly denounced by all Canadians,” said Atamanenko.
Besides a 77 per cent increase in his salary this year, Air Canada’s CEO Calin Rovinescu will enjoy a defined benefit pension of over $350,000 per year when he retires, Atamanenko said.
“Meanwhile Air Canada wants to cut and eventually eliminate the defined benefit pension plan for all of its workers and create a two-tier wage structure between old and new hires.”
Atamanenko called upon all working people, whether unionized or not, to support the striking and locked-out workers.
“It’s up to each one of us to determine what future we want. Whatever we do, it will make a difference, one way or the other,” he said.
“When we support these workers and others, we let the corporations and the Conservative government know that contracts must include work for reasonable wages, workplace safety issues that are properly addressed and a pension that people can live on in their senior years.”
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