Media Advisory – Unifor to comment on Ontario budget

TORONTO, March 28, 2018 /CNW/ – Unifor representatives will be available to comment following the release of the 2018 Ontario provincial budget.

“The Liberals’ announcement of free public childcare for preschool children shows the pressure that workers are putting on this government is being felt,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President.

“This is the Liberals’ last budget before the election, and it needs to reflect the values of Ontario families and make major investments in universal programs to combat inequality,” said Naureen Rizvi, Unifor Ontario Regional Director

 

In a pre-budget submission, Unifor proposed solutions that would address Ontario’s health care crisis and improve conditions for working families including:

• Establishing a minimum standard of care in long-term-care including four hours of daily direct care,
• Restoring hospital funding with a multi-year increase of five per cent per year,
• Widening access to pharmaceuticals through a universal pharmacare program, and
• Ensuring that families have access to public child care and that no one is turned away because of cost.

Unifor also asks that the provincial government step up and act to address inequality and make gender equity a priority. The gender wage gap currently sits at approximately 30 per cent and is much higher for racialized and Indigenous women.

To see what Unifor members in Ontario are fighting for in this coming election, visit uniforvotes.ca.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 162,800 workers in Ontario, in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

SOURCE Unifor