Canadian Correctional Officers demonstrating in Ottawa - Hands off our sick leave program

OTTAWA, May 17, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - On the eve of October 2015 elections and then again in 2016, the Liberal Party loudly and proudly promised to negotiate in good faith with public service employees. The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN) now faces the reality that these were just empty words.

More than 300 members of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN) are demonstrating today in Ottawa to denounce the Trudeau government's lack of openness with regard to negotiations.

UCCO-SACC-CSN has been without an employment contract for two years and is impatient to negotiate with this new government that boasted of its pride in the public service. The union's 7,500 members are quickly becoming disillusioned.

"Treasury Board negotiators have only two words coming out of their mouths: sick leave. They continue to ignore other items important to Correctional Officers and it appears they have no mandate to discuss those other issues. The message from our members last week at our National General Assembly was clear: hands off our sick leave as our unique & dangerous working conditions require a distinct sick leave regime already recognized in our Collective agreement," explains Jason Godin, UCCO-SACC-CSN national president.

First Responders

As the saying goes, it takes two to tango and nowadays UCCO-SACC-CSN is dancing alone. "The government cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach to our demands which recognize our unique working conditions. We are not bureaucrats sitting behind a desk. Our work is a lot more dangerous. We are first responders and spend our days behind the walls with the worst criminals in the country. We are far more exposed to injury and post-traumatic stress disorder than most others in the public service. When it comes to sick leave, they are not grasping our environment if they compare us to other public sector workers," concludes Mr. Godin.

UCCO-SACC-CSN hopes to bargain in good faith with this government and extend an olive branch to the Treasury Board to find some common ground to renew the collective agreement in the interest of all Canadians.

SOURCE CSN

Dave Parent, advisor, CSN Information Service, [phone]