News Release

January 19, 2005

Workers with disabilities refuse to bear brunt of privatization

OTTAWA - Workers with disabilities who are working in the federal public service are concerned that they will be the ones to end up paying for the increased privatization of government services. They feel privatization will have an effect on their working environment and on them personally as users of public services.

About 100 Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members with disabilities will meet in Montreal from January 20 to 23, 2005, for the PSAC Access Conference. They will discuss privatization, globalization of the economy and union militancy.

 Access 2005, Our Rights – Moving On Up is the fifth PSAC national conference dealing with the integration of members with disabilities. The conference objectives are to ensure that the rights of members with disabilities resonate in the union and in the workplace; to develop and implement union-based strategies to ensure integration of the rights of members with disabilities in the local, the workplace and the government; and to mobilize members with disabilities to increase their involvement within the union, their workplace and their communities.

Guest speakers include Pat Danforth, the author of Disability Rights and Collective Bargaining Manual published by the Canadian Labour Congress; Alexander Waddell, a discrimination prevention officer with the Canadian Human Rights Commission; Denise Gagnon, a union training adviser with the Fédération des travailleuses et travailleurs du Québec (FTQ); and Dr. Deborah Stienstra, a professor and director of the interdisciplinary master's program in disability studies at the University of Manitoba.

The media will have access to the plenary discussions. Details of the Access 2005 Conference are as follows:

Date:          January 20 to 23, 2005

Location:    Queen Elizabeth Hotel

                   900 West René-Lévesque Blvd.,

                   Montreal, Quebec

                   Plenary discussions in the Grand Salon

                   Media room in Yamaska Room

The PSAC, with its 150,000 members, is one of the largest unions in Canada. With the vast majority of its members working in the federal public service, the PSAC also represents workers in several sectors of activity, three territorial governments, government agencies, crown corporations, para-public institutions and private sector organizations.

- 30 -

Information:

Pierre Lebel, PSAC Communications Officer, (613) 560-5482

From January 20 to 23: cellular (613) 293-4663

02-190105