More than 100 delegates at CUPE PEI’s 30th Annual Convention unanimously supported a resolution to solve the pension and retirement income crisis in our country once and for all.
CUPE members across the Island are calling on the federal government to take the following actions to resolve this crisis:
- Doubling CPP benefits to provide up to 50 per cent of the average wage and increasing the GIS by 15 per cent so no senior lives in poverty.
- Tougher laws to protect workers retirement income.
- Ensuring more Canadians are part of defined benefit pension plans.
Delegates also requested a national summit on pensions.
CUPE National President, Paul Moist, reminded delegates that more than 11 million Canadians, who go to work every day, do not have a workplace pension. “We need to fight to defend the existing pension plan for CUPE members and others workers. We fought long and hard to establish what we have, and we are not marching backwards when it comes to our Pension Plan in Canada. We need to ensure that all workers, not just CUPE members, are covered by decent pension plans and have secure retirement incomes.”
Speaking on the resolution, long time CUPE member Gordon Muncey said: ‘The problems with our pensions have been going on for many years but it took a meltdown of the market for someone to recognize it.’
“Islanders are amongst the lowest paid in the country and many of them don’t have access to a pension plan”, added CUPE PEI Division Member Leo Cheverie.
“We need a universal pension plan that allows all workers to retire with dignity”, concluded Lane MacLaren.
Photo: Milo Murray, CUPE PEI President, Claude Généreux, Doreen Wall, former CUPE PEI President and Paul Moist, National President, cutting CUPE PEI 30th anniversary cake at the annual convention this week.