January 24, 2017
Honourable Kelly Regan
Minister of Labour and Advanced Education
P.O. Box 697
Halifax, NS B3J 2T8
Re: Chronicle Herald and the Halifax Typographical Workers’ Union (HTU)
Dear Minister:
The Atlantic Region of the Public Service Alliance of Canada and our 18,000 members across the region hereby request that you immediately appoint an Industrial Inquiry Commission under section 73 of the Trade Union Act. As evidenced by this year-long strike, the owners of the Chronicle Herald and their workers need balance in trying to reach a tentative agreement.
It is incumbent upon your government to act in the best interests of both parties when a workplace dispute has been ongoing for over a year. The impact to workers, their families and communities is widespread. Also, the impact on the Chronicle Herald is not lost in this dispute. There has been much information within the public domain from both sides that should be investigated so that the facts are known with a view to engage the parties to come to some form of resolution.
It is hoped that with such a commission, the facts will present themselves to bring an end to this strike.
Your government can no longer sit idly by and allow this strike to drag on any further!
Yours truly,
Jeannie Baldwin
Regional Executive Vice-President, PSAC-Atlantic
Despite all the magic of social media, letters still pack a serious punch. A letter to the editor, to an MP, to your municipal councilor can make important inroads. PSAC members know more than almost anyone about the public services we provide, and we are best equipped to speak up and write up when these services are under attack.