N.S. Federation of Labour holds 49th convention, want to see workers respected by government

Members of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour (NSFL) are calling for change in the province at the federation’s 49th annual convention this week in Halifax.

The event is an opportunity for unions from around the province that are members of the federation to talk about what they want to see in the future.

“When we talk about getting the kind of province we want, that’s one where workers need to be respected by the government,”  said Danny Cavanagh, president of the NSFL.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "When we talk about getting the kind of province we want, that's one where workers need to be respected by the government,"  said Danny Cavanagh, president of the NSFL.

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“We need to do something to end precarious work,” Cavanagh told Global News.

“Too many people are working making less than $15 an hour, in part-time jobs, for not many hours a week. You know and they don’t get treated very well and I’ll point to the Sears workers as an example of how people can sometimes just get kicked to the curb when companies and the shareholders are raking in huge benefits and profits.”

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1:40 ‘We expect it’ll be the same as last time’: labour activists say they want to work with Stephen McNeil

2017 has been another year of labour unrest in Nova Scotia with several controversial bills being passed by the provincial government, including Bill 75, which legislates a contract on 9,300 public school teachers and Bill 148, which imposes a four-year wage package on tens of thousands of public sector workers.

Cavanagh says private sector workers have also been impacted by recent government decisions to impose wage packages.

“We hear from people all the time that their employer is putting the same wage package on the table,” said Cavanagh.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We hear from people all the time that their employer is putting the same wage package on the table," said Cavanagh.

READ: Nova Scotia Teachers Union files Charter challenge against Bill 75

The federation recently had an influx of around 13,000 new members.

The bulk of the new members came from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) when they officially became part of the federation last week.

“Looking at the events of the past year and the support we’ve received we realized rather quickly that standing together…we’re stronger and every union is facing the same issues with this government and it was time that we stepped in and joined the federation,” said Liette Doucet, NSTU president.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Looking at the events of the past year and the support we've received we realized rather quickly that standing together…we're stronger and every union is facing the same issues with this government and it was time that we stepped in and joined the federation," said Liette Doucet, NSTU president.

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1:51 Nova Scotia imposes four year wage package on province’s public workers

Union leaders say they want to make a stronger Nova Scotia by talking about issues that impact everyone, such as the need for a fair minimum wage, domestic violence and safety in the workplace.

“The province doesn’t belong to the unions, it doesn’t belong to the people in the legislature, it belongs to Nova Scotians and Nova Scotians need to decide what kind of province they want to live in,” said Janet Hazelton, president of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union.

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With a number of collective agreements still open in the province, unions say they will continue to put pressure on the government.

“I think the delegation just wants to show that hey, we’re here and you need to listen to us and not only that, you need to change your way and start dealing instead of dictating,” said Jason MacLean, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU).