TORONTO –
TORONTO – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union’s Corrections Division
has broken off labour relations talks with the Ministry of Community Safety and
Correctional Services until threats of reprisals and suspensions cease against
members who exercised their rights under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
In an incident last January at the North Bay Jail, unprotected staff refused
to confront an inmate, armed with a razor, while management ignored requests to
activate the facility’s specially-trained team that deals with these types of
occurrences.
Yesterday, the Ministry again threatened to issue suspensions and reprimands
to members of the North Bay Jail who participated in that refusal, despite the
refusal being ruled valid by the Ministry of Labour. Similar incidents of
reprisals against staff are also occurring at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention
Centre.
OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas said that there can be no labour peace
in Corrections while members are being disciplined for trying to protect
themselves.
“We will not sit across a table with this employer trying to solve labour
relations issues while they stab our members in the back with discipline that is
unwarranted and unjustified,” Thomas said. “If Corrections Minister Monte
Kwinter wants to go to war with the Corrections Division, he will quickly find
out he has a tough fight on his hands. Labour relations are based on mutual
respect and good faith, and we are not seeing any of that here.”
|
