OPSEU protest attracts cabinet ministers' attention

OPSEU protesters attracted the attention of Liberal byelection candidate Glenn Thibeault and several provincial Liberal cabinet ministers who were in Sudbury Jan. 22 for a summit on northern issues.

Thibeault, along with Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle and Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Bill Mauro, spoke to OPSEU president Smokey Thomas outside of the ParkSide Centre.

OPSEU is in bargaining with the province on behalf of 34,000 Ontario public service workers, whose contract expired Dec. 31.

Thomas said he was in town to do strike preparation training with local OPSEU leaders, and they decided to use the gathering of cabinet ministers a way to get their point across.

“There's a bunch of Liberal cabinet ministers up inside, so we thought 'Hey, we'll take an hour and come over and say hello,'” he said.

So far, government contract offers have been filled with clauses that would mean more contracting out, Thomas said.

The union just wants the government to withdraw its concession demands and give workers a modest wage increase after years of a pay freeze, he said.

“What we're asking for is not unreasonable,” Thomas said. “What the government's asking for makes Mike Harris look like a saint, it's that bad.”

If the two sides fail to come to an agreement, Thomas said it would likely be the spring before any strike action could be taken, because essential service agreements would have to be negotiated first.

Thibeault said he never shies away from protests, having participated in more than his share himself, given his recent past as Sudbury's NDP MP.

“As long as people are respectful, you have the opportunity to sit down and listen,” he said, adding that he took literature from the OPSEU members to take home to review later.

“I think it was interesting for the ministers and us in terms of the summit, and I'm glad I was able to meet with the protesters and the Ontario public service people that were outside.”

The northern summit, also attended by Minister of Government and Consumer Services David Orazetti, was a by-invitation affair.

Thibeault said they invited a broad spectrum of people to participate, including those in the mining, transportation and health-care sectors, as well as small business owners.

The late-afternoon meeting, however, was not open to journalists, although a media availability was held afterwards.

Thibeault said most of the participants wanted to talk about jobs, infrastructure and health care, also issues that he's hearing about when going door-to-door in his bid to become Sudbury's next MPP.

He said he's appreciative that the cabinet ministers — all northern MPPs — took the time to support him in his campaign, as well as to listen to what northerners have to say.