News releases
BC Government’s Re-Engineering of Education and Training Includes Improvements, Falls Short on Compulsory Trades and Apprenticeship Quotas on Public Projects
April 29, 2014 | Training and Apprenticeship
Vancouver, BC – Upon initial review, the labour movement gives mixed review to the BC Government’s “re-engineered education and training” program.
The Federation is pleased to see the BC Government’s new plan has committed to hiring 15 apprenticeship counselors with a priority on... more Harper Government’s Half-Hearted Announcement on TFWs in Food Services Does Nothing to Protect TFWs from Ongoing Employer Abuse
April 25, 2014 | Temporary Foreign Workers
Vancouver, BC - Yesterday's Government of Canada announcement that it would suspend the Temporary Foreign Worker Labour Market Opinions (LMOs) in the food services sector would do nothing to protect current TFWs from abuse nor would it put unemployed Canadians back to work.
The Government of Canada... more B.C. Federation of Labour calls on children’s clothing giant “The Children’s Place” to pay what it owes to victims of the Rana Plaza Building Collapse
April 24, 2014
“It’s been one year since the deadliest garment factory tragedy in history, and most of the families affected have had little or no compensation. If something like this happened to workers in Canada there would be outrage and companies would be heavily fined.
“North American and European companies... more Employee Action & Rights Network Fights to Bring Back Grant’s Law
April 12, 2014
Vancouver-the Employee Action & Rights Network (EARN) is holding sit-ins at Mac’s Convenience Stores in Vancouver from 7:00 pm tonight, Saturday, April 12th until 6:00 am tomorrow, Sunday, April 13th to stand in solidarity with workers everywhere who have to work alone during... more BC Unions Oppose Attack on Bargaining Rights
March 20, 2014
Vancouver, BC - An emergency meeting of the B.C. Federation of Labour tonight issued a statement calling for the Provincial and Federal governments to rescind threats to force truckers back to work through back-to-work legislation and license suspensions.
The statement also called for solidarity... more Statement of Solidarity with Vancouver Port Truckers
March 20, 2014
The leadership of the B.C. Federation of Labour met today and condemned the actions of the Federal and Provincial governments to try and force truckers back to work using legislation and license suspensions.
Representatives of BC’s private and public sector unions were unanimous in their support... more Remembering Women Farm Workers
March 12, 2014 | Health, Safety, and Compensation
On a very rainy International Women’s Day in B.C, I drove out to Abbotsford to the heart of the rich agricultural land in the Fraser River Valley. Members of the local community gathered there to honour three women who died in a tragic van accident on the way to their work in the production of our... more Organized labour takes good jobs agenda to Victoria
March 4, 2014
Victoria, BC – Representatives of British Columbia’s largest unions are in Victoria this week, making the case for good jobs.
The labour representatives focused on three aspects of good jobs: fixing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, improving apprenticeships, and increasing the... more BC Budget predicts growing unemployment, underfunds training and services
February 18, 2014
Victoria, BC – B.C Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair today expressed disappointment in a budget that projects increasing unemployment and cuts funding for education and training.
“This is supposed to be a jobs budget, but it predicts growing unemployment1. What’s needed... more Lack of charges in Babine explosion shakes worker confidence in provincial safety agencies
January 21, 2014 | Health, Safety, and Compensation
Vancouver, BC–BC Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair said today that significant steps must be taken to restore confidence in worker protection in British Columbia, in the wake of a damning incident investigation report into the deaths of Robert Luggi and Carl Charlie in... more