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Toronto Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario President Sid Ryan will be available to speak to media prior to the Durham area CUPE leadership meeting next Monday, January 24 at La Gala Banquet Centre, 65 Sunray Street, Whitby. The meeting begins at 5:00 p.m.

Ryan, who will be joined by CUPE National President Paul Moist, is touring the province to talk about the unions strategy to fight concessions at the bargaining table and privatization of public services. In the hospital sector especially, the provincial government has threatened to privatize jobs in order to cut costs. For workers, that means major cuts to wages and benefits as well as the potential loss of both job security and union protection.

The hospital layoffs confirmed last week by the governments announcement of $91 million for severance are just the beginning, Ryan said. Here in Durham, one-third of maintenance workers at Lakeridge Health Centre have already received notices and more are expected. Across the province, layoffs will total in the thousands by next year through the combination of cuts and privatization.

The two leaders will be available to speak to media between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.

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For more information, please contact:
Sid Ryan, President, CUPE Ontario, 416-209-0066 (cell)
Pat Daley, CUPE Communications, 416-299-9739 ext 264