Silliman University Faculty Union files notice of strike

from Silliman University in the Philipines

"Sad to say that up to this day, the university has continued to ignore efforts of the union to have the contingency increase implemented as provided for the CBA, we have not received the promised computation nor have we received any communication regarding this matter," Aguilan said in his letter of appeal for support to Sufa members.

Victory for the University of Miami Workers

Less than two weeks ago, I wrote to ask your support for striking workers at
the University of Miami. Those workers had chosen to go on hunger strike
rather than bow down before a company which was refusing to grant them dignity
at work.

Today I am very pleased to report that the dispute is now over, and on May Day
450 poverty-wage janitors won the right to form a union and raise living
standards for their families.

They won because they stood firm, because they were willing to risk their lives
in hunger strikes which caught the attention of the world. They won because
they were supported by students who joined them in the hunger strike and who
helped rally broad community support. They won because they and their union,
the SEIU, were able to mobilize far beyond the campus and involved religious
leaders, civil rights campaigners and politicians like former Senator John
Edwards.

And they won because of you.

Your 5,000 messages of protest and solidarity represented one of the largest
international trade union campaigns LabourStart has ever been involved in.
That campaign took off like a rocket, flooding the inbox of the university
president with hundreds of messages in the first few hours.

The workers in Miami were aware of your efforts and their own website was
periodically updated to reflect the growth of the international campaign you
were part of.

What a great May Day present -- and what an incentive to all of us to intensify
our efforts to pressure employers all over the world to recognize unions, and
to treat workers with dignity.

Court rejects Wal-Mart effort to block Quebec store unionization

Court rejects Wal-Mart effort to block Quebec store unionization Retail giant Wal-Mart has again struck out in an attempt to prevent the unionization of one of its Quebec stores, this time failing in its application for judicial review of a decision by the Quebec Labour Relations Commission certifying a union at the store in St-Hyacinthe, east of Montreal. The rest of this report is available at: http://www.lancasterhouse.com/

Two Vacancies at the WSIB [Ontario]

The Government of Ontario seeks candidates to fill two Member vacancies on the Board of Directors of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).

Board Function:
The board is responsible for administering the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 as amended and its regulations. It raises funds from the province's employers in order to promote health and safety in workplaces, facilitate return to work and labour market re-entry and provide compensation to workers who are injured on the job or who become ill as a result of working conditions. Compensation includes the payment of health care expenses, payment for wages lost as a result of occupational injury or disease, a wide range of return to work, labour market re-entry and medical rehabilitation services, permanent disability pensions and death benefits to surviving dependents. The board also sponsors a variety of accident-prevention activities and funds fourteen delivery agencies.

Meetings:
The board meets at the call of the chair and in no case can more than two months elapse between meetings of the board of directors. The board currently meets every two months or more frequently if required. Meetings are generally held at the board's office. Preparation is required for meetings.

Remuneration:
Part-Time Board Members receive a per diem of $275

We are seeking candidates who have the following qualifications:
- Prior board experience with large complex organizations
- A solid reputations for achieving results
- Demonstrated skills to build and manage productive relationships
- An understanding of the workplace safety and insurance system as well as public sector governance and accountability
- Effective communication skills

Interested candidates can apply by filling out the attached application form and sending it back to the Public Appointments Secretariat by May 19, 2006.

For more information please go to http://www.pas.gov.on.ca/scripts/en/BoardDetails.asp?boardID=896

Disability related Income Tax provisions

Disability related Income Tax provisions.

from ARCH


Harry Beatty
Barrister & Solicitor
Website: http://www.bakerlaw.ca/

Work Opportunities for Foreign Students

This is the site that the two prior posting refer interested parties to visit.

Off-campus work permit program launched

Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

Off-campus work permit program launched

TORONTO, April 27 /CNW/ - Foreign students studying in Ontario can apply for off-campus work permits beginning June 1, the Honourable Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced today.

"We have over 34,000 international students in our colleges and universities who may now participate in work opportunities in our communities and earn the money they need for their studies," said Minister Bentley.

"Off-campus work agreements will make it easier for students to gain work experience in the Canadian labour market and earn extra income while studying," said Minister Solberg.

Eligible Ontario foreign students will be able to apply for an off-campus work permit beginning June 1, 2006. All 47 Ontario publicly-assisted colleges and universities have signed an agreement to implement the program in co-operation with the provincial and federal government.

To be eligible for the program, international students must complete six months of full-time study at a public postsecondary institution. To remain eligible, they must maintain their full-time student status, sustain satisfactory academic standing and work no more than 20 hours a week during regular classes.

"With all of our colleges and universities participating, communities throughout the province can benefit from the diverse knowledge and experience that international students can bring to the workplace," said Bentley.

The Off-Campus Work Permit Program is one of several federal-provincial programs designed to give foreign students experience in the Canadian labour market and make it easier for them to work in Canada after they graduate.

Ineligible international students include exchange students, students enrolled in English or French second language programs, and students who have received awards from the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program, the Government of Canada Awards Program or the Canadian International Development Agency.

For information on how to apply, students should visit the website at
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-opps.html.
Students can also contact their institution for more information.

Off-Campus Work Permit Program Launched

Off-Campus Work Permit Program Launched

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/press/06/0601-e.html

Ottawa, April 27, 2006
Foreign students studying in Canada can apply for off-campus work permits effective immediately, the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced today.

"Foreign students make a significant contribution to Canada," said the Minister. "They enrich campus and community life with new ideas and new cultures, and they are an important pool of potential future skilled workers that Canadian businesses need to remain competitive."

Foreign students contribute approximately $4 billion a year to Canada's economy. There are about 100,000 foreign students in Canada who could be eligible for work permits under the Off-Campus Work Permit Program.

The program is not intended to take jobs away from Canadian students. Each applicant will be required to compete for employment on an equal basis with Canadians.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has signed agreements with most provinces to implement the program, and agreements with New Brunswick and the Yukon are currently being finalized. The agreements allow eligible foreign students at public post-secondary institutions to work off-campus for up to 20 hours a week during the school year and full-time during study breaks.

Eligible foreign students can apply for an off-campus work permit immediately, and may be able to work off-campus as early as this summer. The work permit is valid for the duration of their study permit.

"CIC is working in cooperation with the provinces and territories to make Canada a destination of choice by making it easier for foreign students to work in Canada during and after their studies," said Minister Solberg. "Off-campus work agreements will make it easier for students to gain work experience in the Canadian labour market and earn extra income while studying," he said.

The Canadian Federation of Students, the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, who have all been consulted on the initiative, support efforts to make it easier for foreign students to work in Canada.

"With Canadian work experience, foreign students will be able to integrate into the Canadian labour force more quickly. This will help address skilled labour shortages in Canada," said Minister Solberg.

Update: on the University of Miami Hunger Strike

Your reaction to last week's appeal was fantastic. Within hours, hundreds of
messages were pouring in to the mailbox of university president Donna Shalala.
In the first five days, over 4,000 messages were sent via LabourStart's ActNOW
page.

We've been steadily reporting on the dramatic developments of the last few
days, including the decision by leaders of the union to come to Miami and go on
hunger strike themselves. As I write these words, Eliseo Medina, executive
vice president of the SEIU, is on his fifth day of a water-only hunger strike
in support of the workers.

We're even showing the latest video produced by the strikers on LabourStart.tv:

http://www.labourstart.tv

OFL - Human Rights Now Only Available in Ontario If You CanAfford It

"Human Rights legislation introduced in the Ontario legislature
yesterday will only make matters worse for the very people the Commission
was set up to help," said Terry Downey, executive vice-president of the
Ontario Federation of Labour.

"Under the guise of 'direct access' to a Human Rights Tribunal this
legislation only allows access to a court - not justice," Downey said. "This
is privatization of a publicly funded human rights system. These amendments
to the Code serve to Americanize the system - just like the government's
plans to privatize Ontario's health care."

"The fundamental role of any Human Rights system is to make it as completely
accessible as possible to all people who have a complaint. The Legislation
before the House will do no such thing. It takes away previously guaranteed
rights to free resources that include investigation, mediation and legal
support. This Legislation even allows the Tribunal to charge user fees,"
Downey said. "If you're wealthy enough to afford a lawyer, your case will
probably get to the Tribunal - otherwise - forget it."

"Under this model the Tribunal becomes the investigator, the Judge, the Jury
and the ultimate decision-maker in deciding if a case should move forward.
The Tribunal has the final say - there is no appeal.

"We are once again calling on the government to rethink this legislation and
hold broad extensive public hearings. Human rights and justice are on the
chopping block in Ontario. This is a crisis. We're asking the government to
slow down, to reconsider and to talk to the people in the province. The
state of human rights defines a society and how it treats its citizens. This
legislation must be halted immediately," Downey said.