CUPE convention delegates overwhelmingly supported a resolution (#261) for CUPE to spearhead a national campaign for publicly funded and administered health care.
The federal Conservative government is public-private partnerships (P3s), for-profit private clinics and competitive bidding for services and contracting out that undermine unions and collective bargaining.
Meanwhile, in BC, Compass, one of the private companies to win contracts after the provincial government contracted out thousands of cleaning and food service jobs, can’t find enough people.
“The pay is so low that Compass is now having to go to the Philippines to hire staff,” said former CUPE National president Judy Darcy.
Delegates also endorsed a resolution calling on the federal government to fund and implement with legislation a national pharmacare program.
A free national drug program was a key part of the medicare model that Tommy Douglas first proposed, one speaker reminded the convention in encouraging convention delegates to support the resolution.
The national campaign in support of public health care will:
- Build and strengthen community-labour coalitions advocating a universal health system;
- Build a legal campaign to stop any and all attacks on public health care;
- Undertake a national political and lobbying campaign campaign against P3s
- Assert the vital role of CUPE members as part of the health care team;
- Campaign the expansion of publicly-funded and delivered home care, long term care, pharmacare, public health, community health and community social services.