Shaila Kibria

That’s what a few government officials say when I talk to them about unions. This scares me.  To think that Members of Parliament may have this opinion about unions: “Unions, they are a bunch of lazy selfish people”.  Unions are organizations that are out their only because people vote for them, and the government chooses to ignore this? 

Two weeks ago I heard of Brampton Punjabi-Canadian women being treated with very little dignity, very little pay, and no benefits, no pension.  Last week I heard of Sudbury women having to work for more than they are paid, and the companies acknowledge it.

Saturday night I attended an event organized for the families of the mine workers in the north.  The mining companies are making billions, yet the workers do not have complete benefits or full pensions. How are families supposed to commit to a company, if they cannot commit to the employees?

Unions are made up of employees who vote them in. Unions ensure that employees are paid a fair wage.  Unions also involve the families of the employees by bringing in the family drug benefits, health benefits, pension plans. Unions help the community through advocacy and funding for hospitals, schools, and more.  Unions bring families together on issues that are important to the community. 

Managements all over the world have benefitted from unions as well. Because unions have implemented maternity leaves, drug benefits and pensions, management has also allowed themselves the right to these necessities. Infact, many in management do not join a company unless these are available.  What is sad, is that these same managers may not bestow these rights to their employees once they join on.  

Many have also said that unions are not benefitting society anymore……well, if unions are not benefitting society anymore, why are unions constantly being called to help the work force, why are they still being called when workers are being harrassed, why are unions still being called when workers are not paid for overtime work. What sickens me the most, the MOST, is when women are treated like crap in a company…the feminist revolution occured 600 years ago when the Qur’an was introduced to the people, but more recently in North America during the sixties. Why then, are women still being treated badly?  Unions are called in…and once they are in, women, men, and families are given dignity. 

When I was up North this past two weeks, I heard the stories from the men working in the mines, stories like how they built the community, raised their families, gave all they had to the mining company…yet when the mining company did not want to pay benefits properly, the mining company brought in scabs to work without benefits, putting the men out of work…some of the men who have given 30 years or more to the mines.  The union is now helping these families come together to ensure their jobs are back soon.

My words to the government:  You are ignoring the voice of the people when you do not treat unions as stakeholders of the community. People vote for unions to come into their lives, so by allowing companies to enter Canada and not recognize unions is like ignoring the rights and the voice of the people.