16 June, 2020
For immediate release
TORONTO, ON – IAM Canada is encouraged by the federal government announcement that extends the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) for another eight weeks. The move extends the coverage to 24 weeks.
“It is the right thing to do as it helps workers adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This affects many IAM members, as well as numerous other Canadians,” said Stan Pickthall, IAM Canadian General Vice-President. “We have lobbied hard and publicly for extension of the program. We lobbied employers, as well as the government. We thank, in particular, Jagmeet Singh and the NDP, as well as Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloq Québecois, who supported our calls for an extension.”
While the IAM is thankful of the extension, which adds some stability to our members’ lives, we continue to be concerned about the CERB coming to a close without some income supports in place.
“The Return-to-Work protocols are something else the government must be watchful for, as some employers may try and force workers to return to an unsafe work environment. The federal government must make the rules clear, transparent and have a fair dispute-resolution process”, said Pickthall.
As well as reforming the Employment Insurance system to deal with the overload of claims, the government must also expand the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program to include more Canadians in this hour of great need.
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For more information:
Frank Saptel
IAM Canadian Communications Representative
fsaptel@iamaw.org
