Rally and concert held to back striking workers of the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum. NUPGE has made a significant contribution to worker's hardship fund.
Ottawa (14 Dec. 2009) - Members of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) joined others in participating in a rally and attending a concert on behalf of striking Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members.
The workers have been on strike for more than twelve weeks.
As a display of solidarity NUPGE presented the hardship fund of the local with a cheque of $10,000 to help in the days leading up to the Christmas holiday.
In a letter to PSAC, James Clancy, NUPGE's national president , said its members "are engaged in a struggle that will have implications for all of us who represent workers in the public sector. We need to stand strong with these women and men – sharing in their struggles and finding strength in their victories."
Looking for job security and wage parity
The 420 workers at the Museum of Civilization and the War Museum have been on strike since Sept. 21, seeking parity with other federal workers doing the same work in Canada's National Capital Region.
They are the only federal museum workers in the Ottawa-Gatineau area with no job security and no recognition of their years of service in a number of critical areas – including career advancement. Their salaries are lower than all of the other museum workers in the National Capital Region.
Solidarity march and concert
Following the march activists joined the striking members at a concert. Those in attendance heard speeches from Liberal MP Marcel Proulx and NDP MP Paul Dewar as well as Barry Blake, national councillor for the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and internationally renown architect Douglas Cardinal, designer of the Museum of Civilization.
Musical entertainment was provided by Ian Tamblyn, Ana Miura, The Mighty Popo and Marcel Aymar.
For many a highlight of the afternoon occurred when a large contingent of local labour leaders took the stage to demonstrate their solidarity with the workers.
As Clancy said in his letter to John Gordon, national president of the PSAC, "I know from experience how important expressions of solidarity can be to people on the picket line. Often, it is that sense of being supported which is more valued by the sisters and brothers than the actual goods received. For those standing in solidarity, it helps build a culture of common cause. We all benefit and are stronger for it."
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
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