Federal Correctional Officers demand working conditions commensurate with the challenges of their work

OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 12, 2023 /CNW/ - Today Correctional Officers from across the country rally in Ottawa to show their anger toward both the Treasury Board of Canada and the Correctional Service of Canada for seemingly turning a blind eye to the escalation of violence in the Federal Canadian prison system.

"Each day our members are facing increased risk to their personal safety. Without the proper tools and policy measures in place to hold assaultive inmates to account for their actions, inmates will continue this escalation with impunity. We are in the business of corrections, which means correcting the behaviour that has led some to commit offences punishable by our judicial system. It seems as though our employer has forgotten the fundamental principles of our profession, when we see such a lack of accountability in our prison populations on a daily basis."

? Jeff Wilkins, President, UCCO-SACC-CSN

While Correctional Officers are presently negotiating with the Treasury Board for better working conditions, they are also advocating for greater inmate accountability with the Correctional Service of Canada through labour relations. Correctional Service of Canada, along with other law enforcement professions, is facing a recruitment crisis, compounding the mental and physical health impacts, when forced to work overtime in environments that are becoming more dangerous every day.

"The specific nature of our work is its difficulty, its permanent nature, because a correctional officer works all year-round and at all hours, and the risks to mental health. These difficulties call for working conditions that are equal to the challenges, because we're not office workers."

? Frédérick Lebeau, Vice-President, UCCO-SACC-CSN

Correction Services Canada and the Treasury Board are responding to our demands with contempt, going so far as to threaten previous gains made during past bargaining sessions. It is time for the employer to understand the current working conditions of their employees and work to make positive changes.

That's why, on September 12, we've decided to call our fellow citizens' attention to what is at stake in our profession.

The prison crisis concerns us all!

The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN) represents over 7,300 members, working in Federal institutions across Canada. It is a democratic non-profitable, autonomous employee organization, affiliated with the CSN. 

SOURCE Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN)