Health and Safety

BC Regional Council meeting minutes and Coordinators reports - April 2013

May 9, 2013 •

Here are the Regional Council reports presented at the April 2013 Regional Council meeting.

Bob Jackson: On April 28th, Mourn for the Dead and Fight for the Living

Apr 25, 2013 •

The following is re-posted from Headwinds, a blog written by the PSAC Alliance Executive Committee - the National President, National Executive Vice-President and seven Regional Executive Vice-Presidents.

Sick leave and disability insurance: A negotiated benefit

Mar 18, 2013 •

Sick leave is a negotiated benefit

Sick leave provisions in collective agreements are a negotiated benefit for public sector workers who get sick; they are not a benefit for those who are healthy. Sick leave ensures workers are well enough to provide quality public services.

Any changes to the current sick leave provisions are a matter for negotiations between the PSAC and the federal government

Photos: We Are All Affected event in Vernon

Mar 7, 2013 •

PSAC members in the Okanagan rocked on March 2, 2013 as union members from Kamloops, Kelowna, Nelson, Vernon & Westbank all came together for the day to participate in an interactive workshop on Building Communities & Workplace Bullying.

PSAC Regional Representative Regina Brennan opened the day with a welcome and introduction to the PSAC "We Are All Affected" campaign against federal cuts. Guest presenters were Dr. Gary Namie on Workplace Bullying and Deborah Littman on Building Communities.

International RSI Awareness Day: ergonomic regulations: how are we doing so far?

Feb 28, 2013 •

February 28, 2013 is the 14th International RSI Awareness Day – a day set aside each year to focus attention on repetitive strain injuries.

This year we are looking at progress made to regulate working conditions that lead to repetitive strain injury.

PSAC has been pushing for the federal program responsible for labour to establish an ergonomic regulation since 1995 to help reduce the incidence of repetitive strain injuries in federally-regulated workplaces.

Government must suspend all Integrity Branch house calls and listen to opposition to EI changes

Feb 25, 2013 •

The PSAC is calling on the government to suspend HRSDC’s Integrity Branch house calls and reverse harmful changes made to the Employment Insurance system.

Drastic government changes to EI legislation are hurting recipents, causing undue stress and putting EI workers at risk.

OHS Canada Magazine: Silence on the Floor

Jan 15, 2013 •

Media coverage of the recent meat recall at XL Foods Inc. in Brooks, Alberta has focused primarily on public food safety. Justifiably so, considering that the meat processed by XL Foods is shipped to more than a dozen countries. But little has been said or heard about the invisible, voiceless workers — many of whom are temporary and foreign — toiling behind the walls of the plant.

2013 PSAC National Health and Safety Conference Call

Jan 14, 2013 •

The 2013 PSAC National Health and Safety Conference will be held April 12 to 14, 2013 at the Sheraton Hotel in Montréal, Québec under the theme “Mental Health at Work – We Are All Affected.”

More information and online registration at the national website.

BC Regional Council meeting minutes and Coordinators reports - November 2012

Nov 20, 2012 •

Here are the Regional Council reports presented at the November 2012 Regional Council meeting, as well as the Council Committee Terms of Reference and the meeting minutes.

Remembering Howard Willems

Nov 9, 2012 •

PSAC members are mourning the loss of a colleague, friend and brother, with the passing of Brother Howard Willems Thursday afternoon.

Howard worked as an inspector with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for more than 30 years before retiring in early 2012. His involvement with PSAC spanned decades and included co-charing Local and Regional Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Committees, and sitting on CFIA’s National OHS Policy Committee.

The BRUSH Committee and mental health in the workplace

Oct 12, 2012 •

The next BRUSH (Health & Safety) Committee meeting will feature mental health in the workplace as one of their discussion topics. To find out more about regional health & safety initiatives, email LittleJ [at] psac-afpc [dot] com or call the Victoria RO at (250) 953-1050. Mental Health Matters!

The Red Tape Reduction Commission: fewer inspections, fewer regulations

Oct 2, 2012 •

Ottawa-Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, as well as several other ministers will make announcements today across the country with regards to the Red Tape Reduction Commission.

Made up of corporations and lobby groups, this partisan commission is seeking to reduce regulatory compliance instead of focusing on keeping Canadians safe from harm.