Ottawa, ON – Meetings here between union lobbyists and MP’s last week concerning saving the pension plan of workers at the Atomic Energy of Canada facilities in Chalk River, Ontario and Pinawa, Manitoba, had a common yet disturbing thread.
“While the overall response to our concerns was positive, most of the MP’s we talked to didn’t know this was an issue affecting employees until we told them,” explained IAM Grand Lodge Representative Gary Hynes.
The meetings and discussions with MP’s and others centered on convincing them to reverse a portion of a Harper-era Conservative omnibus bill that included moving the management of the nuclear facilities at Chalk River and Whiteshell, into a “Government Owned, Corporate Operated” (GoCo) model. Employees would be employed by private companies instead of being public servants. “The most troubling part of the act is that current employees also cease participation in the Public Service Superannuation Act (PSSA) as of September 2018, and employees hired after September 2015 are not eligible to join the Plan,” said Hynes.
“We made them aware of the employee exodus from the facilities currently (around 300 so far) and the numbers will most certainly grow in September 2018. We also emphasized the effect this is having on these remote communities.”
Hynes stated the draw for most employees working at Chalk River and Pinawa, is the pension plan, adding that the wages are only average. “Most employees at the facilities are highly skilled and have opportunities to work at other nuclear facilities, not only in Canada but around the world,” explained Hynes. “These workers are a resource worth keeping.”
The target of the lobby was to meet with the members that sit on the Standing Committee on Natural Resources or the Natural Resources Party critics. Over the four-day lobby, representatives from eight unions, including the IAM, met with 13 MP’s, two senior Policy Directors and one Senior Policy Advisor.
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