Wing’s 工人罷工要求合理談判改善合約

Wing’s 工人罷工要求合理談判改善合約

多倫多Torlake Crescent的Wing’s Food Products僱員於2013年8月13日晚上11時在工場外架設糾察線，開始罷工行動。經過5天談判和兩天調解都失敗後，工會談判委員會明顯意識到繼續談判下去也不會有合理進展，因此由聯合食品暨商業工人工會(United Food & Commercial Workers，簡稱UFCW)第175分會代表的工會成員於本月初以大比數投票通過授權談判單位成員發動罷工。

該公司的140名全職僱員在爭取更佳職業保障，較好待遇、假期和工時，並在尋求制止僱主不斷阻撓工會代表僱員的行動。

聯合食品暨商業工人工會第175分會主席赫哲提(Shawn Haggerty)解釋工會被逼發動罷工時說：「資方提出前所未有的更改投訴程序，要求在僱員投訴管理人員的勞資會議中限制證據。在一個為了保障工人而設的制度中，這些限制將令僱主享有不公平的利益。」

此外，該公司不准工會代表出席處分僱員的會議，同時管理層非常不合理地千方百計阻撓工會代表進入工場與工會成員交談。資方更為了左右工會成員的投票結果而假定工人只是關心僱主提出的薪酬，在工會不知情的情形下單方面加薪。

由於在勞資談判期間，僱主嘗試以單對單的方式與工人談判，企圖說服工人、僱主的提議是公正的，因此工會已入禀投訴資方推行不公平的勞資措施。

加拿大聯合食品暨商業工人工會175分會和633分會為總工會旗下的最大分會。該兩分會代表安省大約20個行業總共約66,000名僱員，在密西沙加市(Mississauga) 、劍橋市(Cambridge) 、渥太華(Ottawa) 、咸美頓(Hamilton) 、濕比利(Sudbury) 和雷灣(Thunder Bay) 均有辦事處。

如要索取更多資料請與 Meemee Seto接觸，電話 416–882-8027

Wing’s workers walk the picket line to demand contract improvements and fair bargaining

At 11:00 p.m., August 13, 2013, workers at Wing’s Food Products on Torlake Crescent in Toronto took to the picket lines to begin strike action against their employer. The bargaining unit members, who are represented by Local 175 of the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW), had voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action earlier this month and, following five days of negotiations and two in mediation, it became clear to the Union’s negotiating committee that no reasonable progress would be made.

The 140 full-time employees are fighting for job security, better wages, vacation, and hours of work, and to put a stop to the employer’s constant attempts to prevent the Union from representing the workers.

“Wing’s has proposed unprecedented changes to the grievance procedure, which would restrict the evidence that could be used during grievance meetings,” explained UFCW Local 175 President Shawn Haggerty. “These restrictions would create an unfair advantage for the employer in a system that is intended to protect the workers.”

In addition, the company refuses to allow members to have a Union Steward present during disciplinary meetings, and management makes it unreasonably difficult for a Union Representative to gain permission to enter the facility to speak with the members. Assuming that the workers only cared about the money on the table, the employer also implemented wage increases without the Union’s knowledge in another attempt to sway the members’ votes.

The Union has filed Unfair Labour Practice charges against the company because throughout bargaining, the employer has attempted to negotiate one-on-one with workers in an attempt to convince them that the employer’s proposals are fair.

Locals 175 & 633 of the United Food & Commercial Workers Canada form the largest local union of the United Food & Commercial Workers. The Locals represent approximately 66,000 Ontario workers across about 20 sectors of the economy. Offices are located in Mississauga, Cambridge, Ottawa, Hamilton, Sudbury and Thunder Bay.

For more information please contact:
Meemee Seto 416-882-8027