(TORONTO, ON) – With the election of a Progressive Conservative majority government, Ontario’s labour movement will fight to ensure workers’ rights and public services are protected.
“While this is not the result the labour movement was hoping for in this election, we saw clearly in the campaign that many Ontarians support decent work, protections for workers’ rights and value Ontario’s public services,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley. “Labour leaders across this province will stand together to send a clear message that workers are the backbone of Ontario. Our movement will mobilize to win positive change for all people in the coming years.”
Doug Ford has often said that he will cancel the scheduled increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour, something that labour and community fought for and won under the first review of Ontario’s labour and employment laws in a generation.
“We will defend the gains we made for workers in Ontario,” said Buckley. “As a labour movement we know that when we work together, we win positive change for workers. I encourage all labour activists to continue their work in solidarity to protect the rights of Ontarians to safe and healthy workplaces where they have paid sick days, paid emergency leave days, and fair treatment.”
Buckley congratulated the labour movement on its mobilization during the election campaign. “The labour movement made its values clear and mobilized strongly across the province from the first moments of the campaign until election day. I want to commend the activists who volunteered and supported these campaigns,” said Buckley.
The OFL represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.
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For more information, please contact:
Meagan Perry,
Director of Communications,
Ontario Federation of Labour
mperry@ofl-org.flywheelsites.com l 416-894-3456
