Brandon – Paul Moist, national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), will address the Manitoba division convention on Thursday, April 24th at 2:30 pm at the Keystone Centre in Brandon.
In support of the CUPE Local 500 campaign, “Positively Public”, Moist will challenge the 2007 report of the Economic Opportunities Commission (EOC) in Winnipeg that recommends the shutting down, contracting out, or privatization of those city services deemed beyond ‘core’ services like “pipes, pavement and police”.
Moist will praise the efforts of all division members to promote strong public services for Manitoban communities as part of the organization’s five million dollar pan-Canadian anti-privatization initiative.
Delegates will also have the opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of the struggles of the 252 workers of the Journal de Québec newspaper who have been locked-out for a year by Quebecor/Sun Media Corporation. Two representatives of the locked-out workers will be introduced to delegates on Thursday, April 24th at 2:00 pm.
“The situation of these media workers in Quebec bears tremendous impact on the quality of news, journalism, and freedom of the press in Canada,” says Moist.
Moist sees this visit and presentation as an occasion to acknowledge the important collaboration between the national union and the Manitoba division in “challenging privatization in all its forms, including P3s and corporate or legislative attempts to destroy public services, as well as in joining forces with community members everywhere who want to stop the growth in private sector takeovers of public services.”
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The Canadian Union of Public Employees is Canada’s largest union and represents over 570,000 members across Canada.
Journal de Québec lockout, freedom of the press: cupe.ca/journaldequebec
CUPE Manitoba convention background: cupe.mb.ca
For information or interviews: Dennis Lewycky, CUPE MB Communications, 204.333.5065 (cell); Louise Leclair, Director, CUPE Communications, 613.314.7199 (cell)