Social services workers call on Premier Clark to follow through on commitment

Unions representing striking community social services workers today called on Premier Glen Clark to follow through on the government's commitment to end wage and benefit discrimination against the workers.

"There seems to be a communications problem in Victoria," CUPE negotiator Bill Harper said at a strike co-ordination meeting in Burnaby today. "The government's commitment to equity is not being reflected at the bargaining table."

"We are calling on Premier Clark to follow through, and to make it clear whether there actually is a mandate to settle this dispute," said Harper. "We have been hearing from the government that the mandate is there, but that's not the message we received from the employers' representatives at the bargaining table. They say they have no mandate to deal with any of the key issues."

"The main issue in this dispute is to end wage and benefit discrimination against community social services workers," said Julio Trujillo of the Health Sciences Association. "The government has said it agrees they should be paid the same as people who do similar work in the health sector. Yet the last offer that's on the table would leave them even further behind at the end of the contract than they are now."

Ten thousand community social services workers represented by the BCGEU, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Hospital Employees' Union and the Health Sciences Association began a full-scale strike this morning. Only essential services are being provided.

The unions say they will be approaching government MLAs to underline that the government's position on equity must be communicated more clearly and forcefully to the Community Social Services Employers' Association.

The striking workers are employed by a variety of community agencies in the community living, family and children's services, services to women and child care sectors. Most have been without a contract since March 1998.

For more information contact:
Rebecca Maurer, Director of Communications
(604) 439-0994