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Former Ottawa police chief-turned-senator Vern White is condemning a job action by House of Commons protection officers as inappropriate and potentially unsafe.
The officers, however, insist their fashion statement — wearing lime green hats and jeans while on the job — is the only way they can bring attention to their concerns and their calls for more respect.
The House of Commons officers, who are part of the Parliamentary Protective Service, have been without a contract since March and have a list of grievances that range from salary to health and safety concerns but are also rooted in displeasure that the RCMP is the lead agency overseeing security on Parliament Hill.
The job action started about four weeks ago when they started wearing PPS baseball caps, but each successive week workers have upped the ante. They switched to the lime green baseball caps, then put stickers across their body armour that say “We deserve RESPECT,” written in both English and French. Last week, the uniform pants were replaced by blue jeans.
“That’s the only way that we can send a message,” said Roch Lapensée, president of the Security Services Employee Association and a House of Commons protection officer.
Each successive action has followed an unanimous vote by the association’s 240 members, Lapensée said.
Florescent green ball caps and jeans are part of a fashion protest taking place on the Hill right now.
“The employer is pretty strong on their stand that they will not negotiate a new collective agreement, and we believe it is their duty and it’s a Constitutional right for them to sit down and negotiate a collective agreement.”
Meanwhile White, a Conservative Senator and former city police chief, who is co-chair of the Parliament Hill security committee, said he believes the actions taken by the union are not only disrespectful but cause confusion he fears could put public safety at risk.
“I’m not sure that an individual running around in a lime green baseball cap and blue jeans running down the Hill with a gun in their hand will be identified by the public as a police officer,” said White. “Is the next thing we see short-shorts on Canada Day? It’s getting out of control and it needs to be brought back into control.”
White has a history of opposing such police protests. A decade ago, he refused to allow on-duty Gatineau police officers who had replaced their uniform pants with jeans or camouflage into Ottawa while they protested stalled contract talks.
Contract bargaining is “not a public safety issue,” White said. “They are making it a public safety issue.”
“Potentially there will be a misunderstanding from the public about what they represent and who they represent. I have to say a lime green baseball hat that says ‘respect’ is disrespectful,” he said.
“Disrespectful to the uniform, disrespectful to the organization they work for and disrespectful to the public that they serve, and I don’t appreciate it,” said White. “If they are not going to wear their uniform, then they probably shouldn’t be on the Hill right now.”
Sen. Vern White.
Lapensée said safety isn’t being compromised and that his members have no other means to protest.
“We are not compromising safety and security, not to members of Parliament, not to the public, and even more, what we are the most concerned about is our members. We would never put our members in that kind of position,” he said. “We cannot strike on the Hill. This is the only way for us to send a message to Parliamentarians, to all political parties … we’re having issues here.”
Lapensée said officers are trying to inform MPs of the consequences of Bill C-59, which created the Parliamentary Protective Service in June 2015 and put it under command of the RCMP. The association wants an amendment that would require the director of the PPS to be independent and respond directly to the speaker of the Senate and the House of Commons.
“It takes political will to propose an amendment, vote for it, make it pass,” Lapensée said.
Currently it is only House of Commons officers who are participating in the job action. Officers for the Senate and the Hill’s detection specialists, who scan visitors, are represented by other unions. The RCMP have been participating in a more subtle protest over their ongoing efforts to unionize by substituting their uniform pants with yellow stripes for dark blue cargo pants.
Melissa Rusk, executive officer and spokeswoman for the Parliamentary Protective Service, said the service is trying to balance the rights of the officers to express their discontent, while maintaining the safety and security of the House of Commons.
“As long there are no operational or officer safety concerns, PPS is mindful of respecting the rights of their employees to demonstrate in a manner that is respectful,” she said. “Operationally, they are all still performing their duties. If it was impacting operations or their capacity to perform the functions they are required to perform, then management would render a decision.”
Rusk said the PPS received a legal opinion that advised against negotiating a collective agreement while awaiting a decision from the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board. The board is still considering a November 2015 application by the PPS to combine the three current bargaining units representing PPS officers into one.
It was a legislative amendment that put the RCMP as operational lead.
“We can’t change that, and we’re not unwilling to work with the employees to address their concerns, but there are certain elements that are outside of our control,” Rusk said.
New Democrat MP Hélène Laverdière said her party supports the workers’ demands.
“Every day, the officers of the parliamentary protective service ensure the safety of members and visitors with a smile, while being impartial and very professional,” Laverdière said in the House of Commons.
“These officers deserve the respect of the House and this government in their work and in their negotiations.”
Lapensée, meanwhile, was vague when asked what the protection officers have planned for Canada Day, which is quickly approaching with expectations of larger than usual crowds for Canada 150 celebrations.
Lapensée would only say he hopes the matter is resolved before then.
“We’re ready to go as far as we can,” he said. “I cannot talk about what we have planned for the next three weeks.”
aseymour@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/andrew_seymour
查看原文...
The officers, however, insist their fashion statement — wearing lime green hats and jeans while on the job — is the only way they can bring attention to their concerns and their calls for more respect.
The House of Commons officers, who are part of the Parliamentary Protective Service, have been without a contract since March and have a list of grievances that range from salary to health and safety concerns but are also rooted in displeasure that the RCMP is the lead agency overseeing security on Parliament Hill.
The job action started about four weeks ago when they started wearing PPS baseball caps, but each successive week workers have upped the ante. They switched to the lime green baseball caps, then put stickers across their body armour that say “We deserve RESPECT,” written in both English and French. Last week, the uniform pants were replaced by blue jeans.
“That’s the only way that we can send a message,” said Roch Lapensée, president of the Security Services Employee Association and a House of Commons protection officer.
Each successive action has followed an unanimous vote by the association’s 240 members, Lapensée said.
Florescent green ball caps and jeans are part of a fashion protest taking place on the Hill right now.
“The employer is pretty strong on their stand that they will not negotiate a new collective agreement, and we believe it is their duty and it’s a Constitutional right for them to sit down and negotiate a collective agreement.”
Meanwhile White, a Conservative Senator and former city police chief, who is co-chair of the Parliament Hill security committee, said he believes the actions taken by the union are not only disrespectful but cause confusion he fears could put public safety at risk.
“I’m not sure that an individual running around in a lime green baseball cap and blue jeans running down the Hill with a gun in their hand will be identified by the public as a police officer,” said White. “Is the next thing we see short-shorts on Canada Day? It’s getting out of control and it needs to be brought back into control.”
White has a history of opposing such police protests. A decade ago, he refused to allow on-duty Gatineau police officers who had replaced their uniform pants with jeans or camouflage into Ottawa while they protested stalled contract talks.
Contract bargaining is “not a public safety issue,” White said. “They are making it a public safety issue.”
“Potentially there will be a misunderstanding from the public about what they represent and who they represent. I have to say a lime green baseball hat that says ‘respect’ is disrespectful,” he said.
“Disrespectful to the uniform, disrespectful to the organization they work for and disrespectful to the public that they serve, and I don’t appreciate it,” said White. “If they are not going to wear their uniform, then they probably shouldn’t be on the Hill right now.”
Sen. Vern White.
Lapensée said safety isn’t being compromised and that his members have no other means to protest.
“We are not compromising safety and security, not to members of Parliament, not to the public, and even more, what we are the most concerned about is our members. We would never put our members in that kind of position,” he said. “We cannot strike on the Hill. This is the only way for us to send a message to Parliamentarians, to all political parties … we’re having issues here.”
Lapensée said officers are trying to inform MPs of the consequences of Bill C-59, which created the Parliamentary Protective Service in June 2015 and put it under command of the RCMP. The association wants an amendment that would require the director of the PPS to be independent and respond directly to the speaker of the Senate and the House of Commons.
“It takes political will to propose an amendment, vote for it, make it pass,” Lapensée said.
Currently it is only House of Commons officers who are participating in the job action. Officers for the Senate and the Hill’s detection specialists, who scan visitors, are represented by other unions. The RCMP have been participating in a more subtle protest over their ongoing efforts to unionize by substituting their uniform pants with yellow stripes for dark blue cargo pants.
Melissa Rusk, executive officer and spokeswoman for the Parliamentary Protective Service, said the service is trying to balance the rights of the officers to express their discontent, while maintaining the safety and security of the House of Commons.
“As long there are no operational or officer safety concerns, PPS is mindful of respecting the rights of their employees to demonstrate in a manner that is respectful,” she said. “Operationally, they are all still performing their duties. If it was impacting operations or their capacity to perform the functions they are required to perform, then management would render a decision.”
Rusk said the PPS received a legal opinion that advised against negotiating a collective agreement while awaiting a decision from the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board. The board is still considering a November 2015 application by the PPS to combine the three current bargaining units representing PPS officers into one.
It was a legislative amendment that put the RCMP as operational lead.
“We can’t change that, and we’re not unwilling to work with the employees to address their concerns, but there are certain elements that are outside of our control,” Rusk said.
New Democrat MP Hélène Laverdière said her party supports the workers’ demands.
“Every day, the officers of the parliamentary protective service ensure the safety of members and visitors with a smile, while being impartial and very professional,” Laverdière said in the House of Commons.
“These officers deserve the respect of the House and this government in their work and in their negotiations.”
Lapensée, meanwhile, was vague when asked what the protection officers have planned for Canada Day, which is quickly approaching with expectations of larger than usual crowds for Canada 150 celebrations.
Lapensée would only say he hopes the matter is resolved before then.
“We’re ready to go as far as we can,” he said. “I cannot talk about what we have planned for the next three weeks.”
aseymour@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/andrew_seymour
查看原文...
