Worker’s Rights Before Profits!!
By now many of you will have read the insulting posting by manager Wai Chan criticizing you for exercising your right to a workplace free from harassment and discrimination and condemning you for daring to take time off work when you’re sick.
I, on the other hand, wish to congratulate each and every one of you for exercising your contractual entitlement to speak with a Union rep rather than sitting back and complacently accepting management’s egregious and repeated violations of your rights.
For Wai Chan to place an expectation on you to first attempt to address your concerns with a management who repeatedly disregards your rights is ridiculous!
Is the care and understanding Wai Chan refers to in his posting the same care and understanding management used to place arbitrary letters of criticism on our files regarding our attendance?
I guess mitigating circumstances don’t fall under care or understanding where management bonuses are concerned!!
Whether we are the first plant in the country or last is irrelevant to us as workers when it comes to our health and emotional well being. For Wai Chan to imply we’re not already doing everything in our power to come to work on a consistent basis is demeaning to our efforts!
We as workers have a responsibility to ourselves before any obligation to Canada Post. I encourage everyone to continue exercising your rights under the Collective Agreement to take time off when you are sick and to speak with a Union rep when you believe your rights have been violated. If it is the advice of your Union rep to then approach management in an attempt to resolve your concern you do so with a qualified representative at your side who understands the contract and is prepared to fight on your behalf.
As for these arbitrary sick letters that are being placed on our files, I am advising you to individually grieve it. If management wants to do this every three months every worker should also be taking time off the floor every three months to grieve it!
In Solidarity
Terry Langley
1st Vice President
Canadian Union of Postal Workers
