The Stel Salaried
Pensioners Organization wishes to thank The Hamilton Spectator for permission
to post the following article by Reporter Tara Perkins published in the March
12, 2004 edition
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Mar. 12, 2004. 01:21 AM |
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Councillors join fight to aid
battered steel industry |
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By Tara Perkins |
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Prime Minister Paul Martin yesterday repeated his government's stance that it has not been asked by anyone for specific help in regard to the steel industry. That was Martin's response when informed by a reporter that Hamilton city council has passed a motion calling for immediate action by the federal government to save the steel industry. "My understanding is that no application has been made to Minister Robillard," he said. Industry Minister Lucienne Robillard is responsible for the steel issue. She could not be reached last night for comment. Martin was speaking to the press after participating in a conference at the University of Western Ontario in London. Wednesday night, council voted unanimously to work with employers and unions to protect steel jobs in Hamilton and the rest of the country. The resolution, which also calls for action by the provincial government, states "if employers begin to abandon pension obligations, it will have an immediate effect on the City of Hamilton's social services budget, as people will be forced to turn as a last resort to the city's social services." Ward 2 Councillor Andrea Horwath called the threat to the steelworkers' pensions "tantamount to theft" and said that cannot be allowed. Meanwhile, Lawrence McBrearty, Canadian head of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), would like to know when the parliamentary steel caucus is going to get a leader. After Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed Tony Valeri to cabinet in December, the transport minister and Stoney Creek MP decided to give up the leadership of the steel caucus. There has been no move to name a replacement since then. "They were supposed to appoint someone last month," McBrearty said. A spokesperson for Valeri confirmed there is no new caucus chair yet, but added "that's the first order of business for the next (steel caucus) meeting." However, that meeting has not been scheduled yet, said Christina Van Loon. McBrearty also noted that plans for a federal-provincial steel committee -- first supported by Premier Dalton McGuinty in a Feb. 18 meeting with Stelco's union -- are progressing slowly. He said he's working to get support for the new committee, aimed at finding solutions for the future of the Canadian steel industry. He hopes the committee will come up with a concrete plan to maintain the industry in the short-term, and revive it over the next five to 10 years. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are on board now, McBrearty said, as is the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The steelworkers have meetings scheduled with Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, officials in Quebec and the Canadian Steel Producers Association. McBrearty said the committee will need more participation from the federal government, "because the feds deal on a national and international basis with the trade legislation." He would like to see representatives from many areas, including industry, labour, Human Resources Development Canada and finance. "What we're going to try to do is set up a first meeting in the coming months with the ministers of the different levels of government, the employers and ourselves, develop our game plan and outline a plan of action," McBrearty said. Key issues to be addressed include trade, access to capital, pension security, skills training and adjustment. McBrearty said he doesn't "know if Paul Martin has been informed of this by his ministers yet or not." tperkins@thespec.com 905-526-4620 |