16 September, 2014On the occasion of the Global Action Day to STOP Precarious Work, UNIFOR will hold a Good Job National Summit to discuss solutions to the stagnating economy, growing precariousness and lack of opportunities for young people.
Unifor has partnered with Ryerson University, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Canadian Federation of Students to host a multi-stakeholder dialogue on how together they can create good jobs. The Summit will take place on 3-5 October in Toronto.
On last year’s World Day for Decent Work, Unifor President Jerry Dias called on the Canadian government to convene a multi-stakeholder Good Jobs Summit in order to start a conversation about creating and sustaining decent work. The government did not respond and so Unifor began to plan its own good jobs summit.
Today in Canada’s job market temporary jobs are growing at a rate that’s twice as fast as permanent jobs. “For too many people in Canada today, the dream of landing a good job is out of reach. For an increasing number, jobs that were once considered ‘stable’ – with decent wages, benefits and working conditions – are under threat. Good jobs appear to be falling off the economic map,” reads Unifor’s Good Job Summit discussion paper.
Given the impact of increasing precarious work on communities and society in general, the summit will involve a wide range of actors including workers, students, governments, employers and community organizations. The issues to be discussed include the economic consequences of a rising pool of temporary, low-wage jobs; the psychological impacts on individuals faced with an unstable career trajectory; and the impact of the growth in poor-quality jobs on our collective ability to pursue other social goals, like eliminating poverty or protecting our natural environment.
More information is available on the event website.
IndustriALL is calling all its affiliates to take action on 7 October, like UNIFOR, to demonstrate our united commitment to stopping precarious work.