Press Release from the Halifax-Dartmouth & District Labour Council. Occupiers include Solidarity Halifax members Kyle Buott, Evan Coole, Mark Cunningham, James Hutt and Sébastien Labelle.
See also a
video interview by The Chronicle Herald of Kyle Buott during the occupation.
See also coverage by the Halifax Media Coop.
Activists from the Halifax-Dartmouth & District Labour Council have occupied the Labour Minister’s constituency office. Minister Kelly Regan just voted in favour of Bill 37 this morning shortly after 7 am. This legislation essentially takes away the right to strike from 36,000 health care and community workers across the province.
“This is draconian legislation that takes rights away from 36,000 workers across Nova Scotia. This morning, Minister Regan, along with the entire Liberal caucus, voted in favour of the legislation,” says Kyle Buott, President of the Labour Council.
Legislation like Bill 37 is currently before the courts in other provinces. It is highly likely that if this law there will be challenged in the courts and could go as far as the Supreme Court.
The first three pieces of labour legislation the Stephen McNeil’s Liberals have brought forward have been regressive and have taken workers’ rights away. The Liberals gutted First Contract Arbitration shortly after they were elected, and then legislated away home support workers’ rights. Now they are attacking all health care workers in the province.
The evidence from across the country shows that taking away the right to strike leads to more and longer strikes. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives did a three part research project on this question and found that Alberta, which bans strikes, had far more strikes than Nova Scotia.
The CCPA report can be found at:https://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/removing-right-strike-will-not-stop-strikes-%E2%80%93-new-ccpa-study
“We call on Minister Regan to repeal this legislation and start helping working families, not attacking them,” concludes Buott.
For more information contact:
Kyle Buott, President
Halifax-Dartmouth & District
Labour Council
Mobile – (902) 478-0239
—
Kyle Buott, President
Halifax-Dartmouth
& District Labour Council
211-3700 Kempt Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 4X8
Mobile: 902-478-0239
Email: president@halifaxlabour.ca
Web: http://HalifaxLabour.ca