郭旼修－同理心使命感－投身工運

我的名字是郭旼修（Kingsley Kwok）。我現在是安省公共雇員工會分會575（OPSEU Local 575） 主席。575分會代表士嘉堡醫院網絡的1,000 多名衛生專業人員和頤康老年護理中心的家庭支援工作者。我在士嘉堡全科醫院的重症監護和急診部門任職註冊呼吸治療師。自2020年3月COVID-19大流行開始以來，我一直在前線工作。我還擔任士嘉堡衛生聯盟的主席，該聯盟是安省衛生聯盟（Ontario Health Coalition）的屬會，積極宣導公共醫療保健。我也是華工網絡（Chinese Workers Network）共同主席，積極促進加拿大華人社區的勞工權利和義務。

我有同理心和使命感，代表工會成員在工作中爭取他們的勞工權利。

我參與勞工運動，為我們在工作中的權利而奮鬥，並改善集體協議。應對大流行的緊急指令和雇主要求，這兩年來一直是工作場所面臨的最大挑戰。在社區中與種族主義和伊斯蘭恐懼症作鬥爭是另一個挑戰。2018年，我在我的工會上收到了作為大會決議提交的《工作場所和社區包容憲章》，代表們投票通過了它。《社區包容憲章》是一個強有力的聲明，即那些支持它的人繼續致力於加拿大人理所當然自豪的核心價值觀：平等、尊重、正義和所有人的尊嚴。 

雖然，我在工會主席、全職雇員、丈夫和父親這些身份所需擔負的責任中掙扎，但我對倡導勞工權利的熱情仍在不斷增長。特別是，作為大流行期間的一線工作者，我每天都看到Covid-19危機對人們的影響，造成不必要的死亡，並對工人產生真實可見的影響。我見過那些因為生病不得不打電話而失去工作的工人。 我見過受Covid-19大流行影響的婦女，男子和孕婦，年輕人和整個家庭，使我更加相信我的工會和其他工會，是工人爭取工作場所正義可以依靠和信任的唯一幫助。以。 

我曾代表新民主黨參加了幾次聯邦和省選舉，因為我看到人們每天面臨的問題需要解決或緩解。我認為大多倫多地區居民面臨的問題包括：長期護理院的可怕死亡；工作場所的健康和安全問題；加拿大仇視伊斯蘭教的增長；少數族裔遭受的辱駡和威脅；可負擔住房危機；氣候變化引致的環境問題。我認為，全民兒童保育計劃以及收入支持將減輕家庭的壓力，特別是對婦女性而言。因為許多婦女受到在虛擬學校期間照顧孩子和可能患有Covid-19的家庭成員的壓力，她們在大流行期間不得不離開工作。

然而，許多人繼續支援自由黨和保守黨，因為舊投票習慣的改變是很慢的，並且對新民主黨缺乏瞭解。沒有足夠多的人在談論好工作、生活品質或氣候變化的影響等重要問題，而是在談論天氣，楓葉隊或藍鳥隊。但我相信，漸漸地，加拿大人，包括華裔加拿大人，將慢慢把新民主黨視為更能代表他們利益的政黨。

無論種族和語言障礙如何，加拿大工會都將所有工人的勞工權利作為他們的重點和首要任務。在我看來，沒有什麼能阻止加拿大華人參加勞工運動或他們的工會。安省公共雇員工會575分會很多幹事都是華裔加拿大人，包括我自己也是。華工網絡指導委員會由不同工會的華人幹事組成。我們都很自豪能夠代表我們的同事，並為他們在工作中的勞工權利而戰。

如果你對加入工會或採取行動有任何疑問或疑慮，請透過華工網絡與我聯繫，我將盡力提供幫助。

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Kingsley – compassion and mission – join the labour movement 

My name is Kingsley Kwok. I am the president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 575 representing over 1,000 allied health professionals at Scarborough Hospital Network and home support workers at Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care. Working full-time as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in critical care and emergency departments at Scarborough General Hospital, I have been on the frontlines since the COVID-19 pandemic emergency started in March 2020. I also chair the Scarborough Health Coalition, which is part of the Ontario Health Coalition, actively advocating for public healthcare. I am also the co-chair of Chinese Workers Network, actively promoting labour rights and obligations to the Chinese Canadian community.

I have the compassion and sense of mission to represent union members in fighting for their labour rights at work.

I got involved in the labour movement to fight for our rights at work and achieve improvements in the collective agreement. Responding to pandemic emergency directives and employer mandates have been the biggest challenges in the workplace. Fighting racism and Islamophobia in the community has been another challenge. Joining the union is often the only help on which workers rely for workplace justice. In 2018 I got the Charter of Inclusive Workplaces and Communities submitted as a convention resolution at my union and delegates voted to adopt it. The Charter of Inclusive Communities is a powerful statement that those who endorse it remain committed to the core values of which Canadians are so rightfully proud: equality, respect, justice, and the dignity of all persons.

Although I juggle my union responsibilities as President along with working full-time and being a husband and father, but my passion for advocating for labour rights is constantly growing. As a frontline worker during the pandemic, I see the effects of the Covid-19 crisis on people every single day with needless deaths, and real and visible impacts on workers.  I have seen workers who have lost their jobs because they had to phone in sick.  I have seen women, men and pregnant women, young people and entire families affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This makes me believe even more that my union and other unions are often the only help the workers can rely on and trust for workplace justice.

I have put my name forward for the NDP in a few federal and provincial elections now because he believes that the issues he sees people facing every day need to be stopped or alleviated.  The list of issues he thinks residents in the Greater Toronto Area face are:  the terrible deaths in long-term care homes, the workplace health and safety issues, the growth of Islamophobia in Canada, and the verbal abuses and threats that racial minorities endure, along with the crisis in affordable housing and environmental issues that are a result of climate change.  He believes that a universal child care program along with income support would take the pressure off of families, especially for women. As he states, “many women had to leave their jobs during the pandemic because of the pressures to look after children during virtual school and other family members who may be elderly or sick with Covid-19.” 

However, many people continue to support the Liberals and Conservatives because old voting habits die slowly and there is a lack of knowledge about the NDP.  Not enough people are talking to each other about important matters like good jobs, the quality of life, or the effects of climate change but are instead talking about the weather, the Maple Leafs or the Blue Jays.  But I believe, little by little, Canadians – which includes Chinese-Canadians – will slowly see the NDP as the party that better represents their interest. 

Regardless of race and language barriers, Canadian unions put all workers’ labour rights as their focus and first priority. In my point of view, there’s nothing preventing Chinese Canadian to participate in the labour movement or their unions. Many stewards of Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 575 are Chinese Canadian including myself. The Chinese Workers Network Steering Committee is composed of stewards of Chinese heritage in different unions. We are all proud to represent our co-workers and fight for their labour rights at work. 

Connect with me at Chinese Workers Network if you have any questions or concerns about joining a union or taking action, I will try my best to help.