Sudbury unions turn up the heat on federal election issues

​The president of the Sudbury and District Labour Council says unions want people to challenge the trend of cuts to jobs and benefits.

“For the last close to a decade now there has been a lot of talk of austerity, but what we are finding is that the 99 per cent tighten their belt and the one per cent loosen out a couple of notches because they are making the same profits or are doing just as well,” Jamie West said.

Union groups in Sudbury are meeting this weekend to prepare for the next federal election campaign.

They are holding training sessions aimed at convincing people to get more involved in the campaign.

The next federal election will be held on or before October 19.

West said the concerns of workers need to be well-represented during the election campaign.

“We've gotten away from careers and we have jobs, and two or three part-time jobs. So we have this precarious workforce,” he said.

One aim of the Election Preparation conference is to explain how policy and legislation affects people's lives, West noted.

Union groups around the country are holding Election Preparation Conferences in the coming months.