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A victory for freedom of expression for all employees in the Federal Public Service
The reinstatement of Edith Gendron at Canadian Heritage has sent a clear message to all workers in the Federal Public Service: you have political rights and you have the right to assert them. Read the press release. Posted 10-Mar-2006
Crown drops the charges...
Following a violent incident on a picket line
at Asticou Centre in Gatineau involving a member of the public
and a PSAC Table 5 member who was picketing before the start
of his work day along with table 1 members in his local section.
After investigation, the PSAC was of the opinion that this
member deserved appropriate representation. The PSAC then
retained the services of Me Michel Swanston - Lawyer -
to represent the PSAC member following criminal charges
being laid against him under section 810 of the criminal
code.
Well great news, on April 20, 2005 the Crown
dropped the charges following representation by Me Swanston.
In addition, Me Swanston wrote to the Police authority to
have the copy of the digital print destroyed.
Posted 25.05.2005
“Without PSAC, I would
have been ruined and lost everything.”
Michel Legendre,
a member of PSAC employed by the RCMP in Ottawa, went through
some very serious difficulties. Thanks to the PSAC, he was
able to overcome them, and today he is eternally grateful,
because he would have lost everything had the PSAC not stepped
in, and he was also facing a criminal conviction.
In 1978, Legendre suffered a back injury at work. The doctors
had to surgically remove two disks. He continued to work
at RCMP offices in Ottawa until 2001. However, the pain became
too severe, forcing him to apply for benefits from Quebec's
Commission de santé et sécurité au travail.
At the end of 2002, the Commission asked him to see another
doctor and to undergo new tests. The doctor concluded that
Legendre was not fit for work. Soon after, an investigator
for the Commission called him in for a meeting. Legendre
was told that he has been under surveillance for a few days
and was asked to change his original declaration.
He felt very intimidated and harassed. Two weeks later,
his benefits were cut off and criminal charges were laid
against him.
 Discouraged and fearing criminal charges, Legendre thought
about not challenging the Commission's decision and
applying for social assistance benefits. However, he called
the PSAC representative at the Gatineau office, Dominic Lavoie,
to ask him for some advice. Lavoie examined the case. He
saw that Legendre's injuries were real and that the
postural pain was well documented. He concluded that nothing
justified the Commission's decision to cut off Legendre's
benefits. After the analysis the PSAC retained legal counsel
to represent Legendre in the Quebec court.
The criminal trial was held in September 2004 in Gatineau.
The judge quickly threw out the charges and restored his
benefits.
According to Legendre, this episode clearly showed him the
benefits of belonging to a union such as PSAC. “I would
have lost everything had it not been for the union,” he
said. In his opinion, people facing similar circumstances
without the help of a union just don't have the resources
to fight and quickly join the ranks of social assistance
recipients.
This article was posted May 6, 2005 and was
featured in the April
11 - 29, 2005 Union Update
- download
Update in PDF
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