FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 13, 2002, 12:01 a.m.

Government employees withdraw services across Ontario

TORONTO – More than 45,000 Ontario provincial government workers withdrew their services as of 12:01 a.m. today as negotiations failed to reach a new contract between the Harris government and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.

The legal strike affects correctional facilities, provincial psychiatric hospitals, highway transport enforcement, provincial laboratories, probation and parole services, parks and tourist attractions such as the Ontario Science Centre and Ontario Place, and hundreds of government offices across Ontario.

Under Ontario law, unionized employees are required to perform minimum essential and emergency services, which were negotiated with the government prior to the strike.

OPSEU President Leah Casselman said the government employer is demanding major concessions and has rejected union proposals aimed at rebuilding a public service shattered by seven years of cuts, layoffs, and privatization.

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For further information contact OPSEU Communications:

Randy Robinson: (416) 443-8888 ext. 441
Katie FitzRandolph: (416) 443-8888 ext.442
David Cox: (416) 443-8888 ext. 314