And we also asked the PSU president about the Labour Day holiday. It's one of those occasions that has always been celebrated on May 1st - regardless of which day of the week that date falls. However, this year, it's being observed on Monday, April 29th, to make way for a long weekend. Flowers said that while it is the purview of the Home Affairs Minister, he is not surprised since the government is not exactly "labour friendly."
Dean Flowers, President, PSU
"First and foremost, that is the prerogative of the Minister of New Growth Industries and his committee. In 2020, when we started engaging with the new administration, I would have made the statement that it is my humble opinion based on the negotiations that were happening at that time and the manner in which workers were being treated in the public and private sector, that we're not dealing with a labour-friendly government."
"That position holds to the date. We're not dealing with a labour-friendly government. And so I'm not surprised that they would have shifted the holiday up rather than observing the day on the first of May."
"But that's not a fight again solely for the Public Service Union. I think those are questions that ought to be placed at the foot of the wider labour organization or the national umbrella organization."
"But from my humble perspective, we have not viewed the government as being labour-friendly. And so the move of the day does not surprise me."
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