In the eighties the attack on working people and labour unions by business and government was through downsizing and concession bargaining. In the nineties the business agenda is clear: contracting out is the new club being used to attack job security, wages and benefits.

Over the past years we have heard from all three levels of government; municipal, provincial and federal, that public sector workers should be prepared to face downsizing and loss of job security since business already imposed such draconian measures in the private sector. Private sector workers were pitted against "greedy, whining" public sector workers. The last three years of public sector cuts imposed by Kleins Tories in Alberta were always excused as being "less than what has happened in the private sector, especially the oil industry".

Unlike the eighties, government lead business in contracting out public sector workers. Along with downsizing, and attempts to reinvent government to run like a business, governments from school boards to the Federal Liberals have looked at privatizing and contracting out public sector jobs. Not to be out done the private sector businesses, having cut staff to the bone, are now 'outsourcing' as many jobs as they can.

This has lead to a common fight back across North America this past year by unionized workers in both the public and private sector. The recent strikes by Boeing workers in Winnepeg, members of CAW and the IAM Local 99 workers at Finning here in Alberta are just two of the most recent strikes forced on workers by management intent on contracting out (outsourcing) their jobs. In the United States this past year workers have struck against Boeing as well as Lockheed Martin over these same issues.

In the public sector, the Laundry workers in Calgary made clear that the issue was privatization of health care services and contracting out. Interestingly while the Premier was willing to concede that support workers in Alberta's hospitals should be given severance packages similar to those offered doctors and nurses there was no way he would discuss contracting out. "Contracting out is a non starter, its going to happen, if these folks want to stay on strike over contracting out they are going to be out for a long time" Klein told a radio reporter during the height of last Novembers laundry strike.

There it is folks, contracting out is a non starter. Its an issue we all face as private and public sector workers, unionized or not. The Klein government during the laundry workers strike clearly indicated that we can fight for severance packages but we can't fight to end contracting out. For construction workers, hoping to cash in on the proposed expansion boom promised by Syncrude and Suncor, expect to see more merit shops replace union hiring halls. For Energy workers expect to see more outsourcing of shop floor jobs using TQM team work based merit programs. For school board workers we have already seen efforts to contract out custodial, maintenance and support staff in our public schools across the province. Health care workers equally face contracting out in the next year of all support service jobs.

The wave of strikes since January of 1995 across North America has been around issues of contracting out and two tier wages, as well as benefits. It is time for workers across Alberta, and indeed across Canada, to recognize that whether we work in the private or public sector our jobs, our unions, our very existence is threatened by a common foe; contracting out. It is time to unite to defeat this foe. Like downsizing, once we accept contracting out of any kind in any sector, we are on a slippery slope towards disaster.

If there is one single issue that should unite us as never before, then it is contracting out. A unified labour fight back campaign is needed to combat it. If there is one issue that could be the spark that leads to a General Strike across this province and country then it is contracting out.

No longer can workers allow the bosses to label us as private or public sector, as if that divides us, contracting out is a unified attack on all workers, regardless of the sector we work in. It requires a unified fight back strategy and campaign that will lead to a General Strike. Whether it was Calgary Laundry workers or Finning strikers, the issue is the same. The spark that ignites a general strike against contracting out could happen with the next private or public sector dispute. We know that the government and business will only back down over this issue when confronted head on. On any other issue; wages, benefits, hours of work, severance packages, the bosses are willing to concede. But they will not give up the right to contract out with out a united fight back by all workers in this province. Klein drew the line in the sand last November, when will we be prepared to cross it?

Originally published in Labour News, September, 1996.

CONTRACTING OUT: THE NEW LABOUR FIGHTBACK is the work and sole property of Eugene W. Plawiuk. All rights are reserved. Except where otherwise indicated it is © Copyright 1996 Eugene W. Plawiuk. You may save it for offline reading, but no permission is granted for printing it or redistributing it either in whole or in part. Requests for republication rights can be made to the author at: "ewplawiuk@oocities.com"

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