Friday, May 3, 2013

Government on Slippery Slope

I just finished reading an article this morning about the Alberta government’s behaviour after the jail guards returned to work on Thursday.  To quote the union leader Guy Smith,
“We are doing everything we can to calm the waters and instead the government is throwing gas onto the fire. It is really dangerous and irresponsible,”
Furthermore, the government says they will not deduct the union dues for 6 months which will cause the union not to get their funding.  And Premier Alison Redford is also backing away from her original agreement of “no retribution” by saying that those guards who put others at risk will be dealt with – which goes against her amnesty agreement for all guards.
       This type of misbehaviour by our politicians illustrates how far we have strayed from the ideals of governing laid out more than 2,000 years ago by Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.  Goading, bullying, lying, taunting and then attempting retribution to employees is not the way to win friends or influence people.  At least, not in the style of Dale Carnegie had in mind.  What we have been seeing for the past decade and in particular since Stephen Harper began leading the government is a flagrant disregard for individuals and a meanness of spirit with regard to unions that puts us back 100 years in labour relations.  What is even more astonishing to me is that to date the unions have been mild in their reactions to the methodical and unjustified legislating of back to work acts, as well as identifying some ludicrous union jobs as “essential services” (airport workers for instance).
       If we are not careful we will see one of two things, violence as labour fights back or a new born slave class.  We are on a slippery slope.

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