Several thousand Nortel workers converged on Parliament Hill on Wednesday to demand justice and to call on the federal government to overhaul Canada’s unfair bankruptcy laws.
More than 2000 companies are currently under bankruptcy protection across the country Protesters stated that Parliament must act now in order to change the legislation that sets out who gets paid when companies file for bankruptcy protection. As it stands now, when an employer files for protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), workers go to the back of the line, behind other creditors, like banks and suppliers.
“It’s about time that this Conservative government woke up and got tough with Nortel and other companies flagrantly stealing workers’ deferred earnings,” said Canadian Labour Congress President Ken Georgetti.
“We have a campaign going on to enhance pensions, and to put in place pension protection insurance like they have in the UK and the US.”
CUPE National President Paul Moist was there to extend CUPE’s full support, along with CEP President Dave Coles and opposition leaders Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe and Michael Ignatieff.