PSAC welcomes workers from the the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Lesmill Lab, who were officially certified to join our union on May 16, 2016. These 92 new members work in Toronto in an I.T. facility owned by the OLG and have endured years of wage freezes.
The desire for better working conditions and concerns about an impending privatization motivated them to join our union.
Following the successful unionization of their colleagues in Sault Ste Marie, OLG Lesmill workers reached out to PSAC about a campaign of their own. Like non-union OLG workers across the province, those at Lesmill had their wages frozen for years.
Privatization unpopular
“We are seeing the negative impacts of the Liberal’s plans to privatize the gaming industry on the OLG’s workforce across the province”, states Sharon DeSousa, PSAC Ontario Regional Executive Vice-President. “Thousands of workers across Ontario are in a state of upheaval with the OLG’s plans to privatize its gaming sites and also its $2 billion lottery industry by 2017.”
A 2014 poll found 70 per cent of Ontario voters oppose the privatization of the OLG and its impacts to jobs and much needed government revenue. With the support of the PSAC’s resources and expertise, Lesmill workers can now negotiate with OLG during the transition to privatization.
The Ontario Liberals announced plans to privatize Ontario Lottery and Gaming in 2012.
In September of 2015, the first “bundle” of Ontario casinos in the province’s East were sold to The Great Canadian Gaming Corporation.
Wages secure
During the negotiating process, the workers’ wages and conditions will be secure until a collective agreement is reached. Despite the privatization process, Lesmill workers will continue to have the protection of their union. Successor rights, enforced by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, ensure the continuation of collective bargaining rights when a public or private business is sold, transferred, or divested.
We have consistently opposed the privatization of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. These workers can now look forward to the backing of PSAC and their fellow OLG workers across the province as they negotiate their first collective agreement.