{"id":9902,"date":"2026-05-22T00:58:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T22:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stocks-future.com\/?guid=0a2099516fe0049c9bcdad489929fad7"},"modified":"2026-05-22T00:58:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T22:58:00","slug":"cupe-ontario-warns-carney-liberals-remember-what-happens-when-governments-try-to-remove-workers-right-to-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/?p=9902","title":{"rendered":"CUPE Ontario warns Carney Liberals: Remember what happens when governments try to remove workers\u2019 right to strike"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ontario\u2019s largest union expressed its shock at federal Liberal proposals to designate more workers \u201cessential\u201d as a way of removing their right to strike and it warned Prime Minister Carney that attempts to abrogate workers\u2019 Charter-protected rights to free collective bargaining would be met with fierce resistance from labour.<\/p><\/a><\/a>

\n\u201cThe Carney Liberals must have the shortest memories ever,\u201d said CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn. \u201cThey appear to have already forgotten that less than a year ago, 10,000 CUPE flight attendants refused to give up their right to strike to defend against unpaid work.<\/p>

\n\u201cThree years ago, there was nearly a general strike in Ontario, when the entire labour movement came out in support of 55,000 CUPE education workers, who defied Doug Ford when he tried to remove their right to strike. And just today the International Court of Justice confirmed that International Labour Organization Convention 87 protects workers\u2019 right to strike \u2013 and Canada ratified that convention in 1972.\u201d<\/p>

\nThe government\u2019s discussion paper outlining the proposed changes was given to only a few select parties for comment and was issued with very tight timelines.<\/p>

\n\u201cWhat the federal government does affects all workers, not just those covered by federal labour laws. Every right-wing premier across the country is waiting to follow the federal government\u2019s example and strip workers of the fundamental right to strike,\u201d said Hahn.<\/p>

\nIn contrast to Carney\u2019s proposals, the Ontario Nurses\u2019 Association recently launched a constitutional challenge to regain nurses\u2019 right to strike. It bases its challenge on the argument that the current system of forced arbitration makes it impossible for workers to bargain improvements and protections that reflect changing workplaces.<\/p>

\nCUPE Ontario also challenged the government\u2019s claim that the proposed changes to Canadian labour laws are to \u201censure that workers are better protected and supported<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>

\n\u201cStandards and protections that we take for granted today \u2013 the 8-hour workday, weekends, parental leave, pensions, and so much more \u2013 none<\/i> of them were given by the good graces of employers or the government,\u201d Hahn pointed out. \u201cEach of these rights was won by workers who withdrew their labour when necessary.<\/p>

\n\u201cSo whatever back room deal the Liberals are cooking up with Canada\u2019s CEOs, they need to understand: the right to strike is something workers know is necessary to the gains they make. It is a right we will defend, and if federal Liberals want a fight on this point. they will get one.\u201d<\/p>

\n:kk\/cope-sepb 491<\/p> Contacts<\/b>

\nMary Unan, CUPE Communications\n647-390-9839\nmunan@cupe.ca<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ontario\u2019s largest union expressed its shock at federal Liberal proposals to designate more workers \u201cessential\u201d as a way of removing their right to strike and it warned Prime Minister Carney that attempts to abrogate workers\u2019 C…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-infos-businesswire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9902"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9903,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9902\/revisions\/9903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}