[BC_Labour_E-NEWS] Issue 26, May 27, 2002

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BC LABOUR E-NEWS

Issue #26 - May 27, 2002

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TENS OF THOUSANDS CLOG DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER IN MAY 25 MARCH

Tens of thousands of demonstrators from every walk of BC life
clogged the streets of downtown Vancouver Saturday as the B.C.
Federation of Labour's Campaign BC brought its campaign for jobs,
health care, education, strong communities and public services to
the Lower Mainland.

Marchers were jubilant, despite occasional rain showers. 
Costumes, balloons and floats decorated the streets and converged
at the beach in a noisy demonstration of opposition against the
Campbell Liberals.  Signs indicate that people came from all over
the province and that the event attracted many people from
outside the labour movement in the broadest show of support yet
for Campaign BC.

+++

HOW MANY WERE THERE?

Were there 40,000 marchers in Vancouver, as Campaign BC
estimated, or 20,000, as the police estimated?  The answer is
yes.

March and demonstration estimates are always a tricky business,
and they're highly political as well.  But Campaign BC marshalls
reported that the last marchers were just leaving the Burrard
Skytrain Station rally point as the head of the march crossed
Drake Street on Burrard, meaning the main body of the march was
six lanes wide and nine blocks long.

The second contingent, which marched north on Burrard from
Seaforth Park, covered the entire bridge for its entire width and
merged with the main group at Pacific Boulevard.

How many people is that?  The Sun Fun Run jams 44,000 people into
a starting area three to four blocks long.  Consider that the
Peace Marches of the 1980s numbered 80,000 and took about twice
as long to pass a given point.  That puts us in the 40,000
marcher range.

How do the police estimate 20,000?  Ask them.

The main point is this:  We wanted tens of thousands to attend,
and we were successful.  We wanted the biggest political
demonstration in the city in a generation, and we were
successful.  We asked British Columbians to speak up - and they 
did.  Thanks to all who came!

+++

LIBERALS SHUT DOWN DEBATE

The NDP Opposition is asking people to help them fight the
Liberals on five key bills they will push through the legislature
in as little as twenty hours.

The use of closure to shut down debate on the controversial bills
has never happened on such a scale before in BC's history.  In
the past decade, closure was used only once to pass a single bill
on the Nisga'a Final Act after 120 hours of debate.

The NDP expects the legislature to debate the bills as follows:

Bill 48
Employment Standards (2nd Reading)
6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, May 27

Bill 26
Employment and Assistance Act
3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 28

Bill 38
Environmental Assessment Act
3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 29

Bill 49
Workers Compensation Amendment Act
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 29

Bill 27
Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities
6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 29

Bill 48
Employment Standards Act (Committee and 3rd Reading)
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 30

The Opposition is inviting individuals interested in any of these
pieces of legislation to sit in the public gallery to bear
witness.  You must let their office know if you plan to attend as
Joy and Jenny will want to acknowledge your presence in the house
during the course of debate.

Joy and Jenny will also read the names of those who are unable to
attend but who want an opportunity to speak as witness to any of
these bills should the committee in question provide that
opportunity.

To contact the NDP Opposition:

Daphne Powell
Legislative Intern
Opposition Caucus
250.356.1990
fax: 250-387-4680

< mailto:daphne.powell at leg.bc.ca>

+++

EDUCATORS SAY GOVERNMENT VIOLATING INTERNATIONAL LABOUR RIGHTS

The Canadian Association of University Teachers filed a formal
complaint with the International Labour Organization against the
government of British Columbia on May 14.

"The government of British Columbia has enacted legislation that
affects thousands of workers in the post-secondary education
sector and that blatantly violates the most fundamental
principles of free collective bargaining and freedom of
association," explained CAUT president Vic Catano.

In January, the BC Legislature passed Bill 28, the Public
Education Flexibility and Choice Act, which gave the province's
colleges the power to ignore provisions negotiated in collective
agreements and to unilaterally increase class sizes, require
faculty to take on more students, and force teachers to deliver
courses on-line.

CAUT is calling on the ILO to conduct an immediate investigation,
alleging that Bill 28 directly contravenes ILO Convention 87
concerning Freedom of Association and the Protection of the Right
to Organize (1948), which Canada has ratified.

"Collective bargaining rights include the assurance that freely
negotiated collective agreements should not be subject to
government intervention," Catano stated.  "Without any
consultation, the government in BC has violated this basic
principle."

The Canadian Association of University Teachers is the national
voice of 30,000 academic staff and is dedicated to improving the
quality of post-secondary education in Canada.

The ILO is the United Nations specialized agency that formulates
minimum international labour standards.  The ILO has a tripartite
structure and is comprised of government, employer, and labour
members.

For more information, please contact Roseanne Moran, CIEA Staff
Representative, at 604.873.8988.

Visit the College Institute Educators' Association website for
more information:

< http://www.ciea.bc.ca >

+++

EVENTS

FREE PUBLIC FORUM ON PRIVATIZATION AND "PUBLIC-PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIPS"

Wednesday May 29, 2002
7:00 pm
Metrotown Hilton
6083 McKay Street
Burnaby
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - Pacific Office

For more information: 604-801-5121

What will privatization and "public-private partnerships" (P3s)
mean for you and your family?  What happens to accountability and
the quality of public services like health care and education? 
Do P3s really save governments money?

Find out the answers to these and other questions about the
effects of privatization.  Join us to hear from world-renowned
experts from Great Britain, Canada and the United States.


THE EFFECT ON HEALTH CARE

Dr. Matthew Dunnigan is a Fellow of the Royal College of
Physicians of Glasgow and Edinburgh.  He has published more than
100 papers in peer-reviewed journals.  Dr. Dunnigan has conducted
detailed analysis of the so-called "Private Finance Initiative"
(PFI) in the United Kingdom.


THE IMPACT ON SCHOOLS

Heather-Jane Robertson is an author, a Distinguished Educator of
the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and a recipient of
the Teacher of the Year Award from the Canadian College of
Teachers.  She has spoken to groups on four continents.


THE LOSS OF SOCIAL SERVICES

Professor John Loxley, an economist at the University of
Manitoba, is one of the few Canadian economists to have conducted
in-depth studies into the impact of privatization of public
services and public-private partnerships.


THE COST TO COMMUNITY SAFETY

Judith Greene, a criminal justice policy analyst with Justice
Strategies, currently serves as a research consultant for both
the RAND Corporation and Human Rights Watch.  Her articles have
appeared in numerous academic journals.


HOW TO GET THERE:

The Metrotown Hilton is at 6083 Mackay St, in between Kinsgway
and Central Boulevard.  If you come by skytrain: get off at
Metrotown Station.  Walk one block west on Central Boulevard to
Mackay.  Turn right.  The hotel is just up the street on the
left.  The #19 bus will also get you there, albeit rather slowly.

+++

HERE A CUT, THERE A CUT, EVERYWHERE A CUT CUT !!

Monday June 3rd at 7pm
Richmond Christian Reformed Church
(9280 No. 2 Road)

Contact:
Kevan Hudson - Council of Canadians (Richmond Chapter)
Telephone #: 604-274-1191
< mailto:khudson at vcn.bc.ca >

*ADMISSION: A CAN OF CAMPBELL'S SOUP

This event is a public forum about the state of public education
and health care in Richmond and British Columbia.  Panelists will
discuss the cuts and policy changes in education and healthcare.

*With Street Theatre performances by:
The Corporate Bagmen
The Not-So-Liberal Dancers
The Robbing Hood Perfomers

EDUCATION PANEL:
Braeden Caley - student at Richmond Incentive School
Olwen Walker - Parents Against Cuts in Education (PACE)
Neil Worboys - BC Teacher's Federation (BCTF) President

HEALTHCARE PANEL:
Marnie Hewlett - BC Nurses Union (BCNU)
Health Employees Union (HEU) representative

IS THERE AN EVENT HAPPENING IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

PLEASE LET US KNOW:

< mailto:bcfed at bcfed.com >

+++

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