Advertisement 1

Border Services staff protest in Regina after 3 1/2 years without contract

Six days before Christmas, Santa Claus had a message for Canada Border Services Agency employees who have been without a contract for 3 ½ years.

Article content

Six days before Christmas, Santa Claus had a message for Canada Border Services Agency employees who have been without a contract for 3 ½ years.

“You’ve all been good boys and girls, and kept me and the elves and Rudolph and the other reindeer safe, so I thank you. So I think you deserve (a contract),” said a Public Service Alliance of Canada supporter, wearing a fluffy white beard and red suit.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

He presented his “naughty list,” which included the names of Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, Treasury Board president Scott Brison, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Article content

About 15 people rallied at the corner of Hamilton Street and 12th Avenue in Regina on Tuesday during the noon hour.

They carried signs with messages like, “Hey Ralph, 1,278 days without a contract” and, “Border officers protect Canadians; they deserve a fair contract.”

They chanted phrases like, “We are the union, the mighty, mighty union,” and, “The people united will never be defeated.”

And they came from places like Carievale and Kindersley to stand outside in a minus-15 windchill.

“It’s about a four-hour drive to come into Regina, but I do believe that it’s time for them to have a fair contract,” said Jackie Oswald, who is a regional vice-president for the Union of Solicitor General Employees, and works for the RCMP.

“It’s all such important work, the safety of our country. They’re protecting our borders and that’s paramount right now with everything that’s happening in the world.”

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

That was Brea Lewis’s main message.

“All we’re asking for is a fair and equitable treatment, to be treated fairly with law enforcement across Canada,” said Lewis, a branch president of the Customs and Immigration Union (part of PSAC), and a member of the bargaining team.

Brea Lewis, branch president of the Saskatchewan Customs and Immigration Union, speaks to media during Tuesday’s rally.
Brea Lewis, branch president of the Saskatchewan Customs and Immigration Union, speaks to media during Tuesday’s rally. Photo by Michael Bell /Regina Leader-Post

Border guards have been armed for the past decade.

“We’re no longer collecting the duties and taxes only at the border. We’re protecting Canadians; we’re protecting ourselves; we inherit those risks every day,” said Lewis, a border guard at the Port of Willow Creek in southwest Saskatchewan.

“Every vehicle that comes towards us is an unknown threat. … And we are the first line of defence to Canada.”

Two examples of border seizures in the past month include 100 kilograms of cocaine at Coutts, Alta., and 694 grams of opiates at Regway.

Lewis said two of the main concessions the federal government is asking relate to work-life balance.

“They want to be able to change our shift schedule with 48 hours notice, so basically you’re tied to the line all the time,” said Lewis.

Also, she said, the CBSA wants to generate schedules in Ottawa, rather than continuing to have local management and staff make schedules.

Other issues are the discipline of border guards, who “are often treated as being guilty until proven innocent,” and being able to retire with a pension after 25 years of service.

The bargaining committee completed a non-binding arbitration process in late November, and Lewis expects to be back at the table by mid-winter.

amartin@postmedia.com

twitter.com/LPAshleyM

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers