This text is part of the special 75th anniversary of the FEESP
What do Amélie Benoit, Carmelina Santoro and Kevin McLean, respectively president of the Women’s Committee, president of the Training and Union Life Committee and president of the Health-Safety-Environment Committee of the FEESP have in common? Looking at their professional and union career, few things, except one: it was a bit of a coincidence that led them to their current position.
“It was a colleague who suggested that I introduce myself,” says Amélie Benoit. Not because I knew the file well, but rather because I worked in the school environment, which is predominantly female. Carmelina Santoro had a different journey. “I held several elective positions within my union at the Casino de Montréal,” she says. But one day, I wanted a new challenge and I chose to become a trade union trainer. It was then that I got involved in the committee. As for Kevin Mc Lean, he took another path: “I arrived at the STM as a metro mechanic,” he explains, “and as a worker, I was able to observe certain shortcomings in health and safety. It challenged me and so I chose to get involved. »
Female condition
Among the current issues on the agenda of the committee for the status of women, there is one that relates to the pandemic. “During the crisis, explains Amélie Benoit, many workers turned to telework and as we know that women still assume a large part of the domestic responsibilities today, working at home is more complicated for them. Not to mention that the pandemic has contributed to the isolation of people. These two factors had an impact on the mental health of the workers. The committee is currently on the lookout for what will happen when these workers resume a normal professional and social life. »
Also in the crosshairs of the Committee for the Status of Women, the changes made by the Act to modernize the occupational health and safety system. “This new version of the law contains regulations on issues that particularly affect women, for example, psychological harassment. The committee has a duty to ensure that all unions affiliated with the FEESP are aware of these changes and that they have the tools necessary for the proper application of the new text. »
Health-Safety-Environment
Kevin McLean couldn’t be clearer. “Occupational health and safety is everyone’s business, employees and employers alike. And any new practice that could compromise the health and safety of workers must not only be denounced but corrected. »
He gives the example of locking tools. “On a construction site or in a workshop, all tools that are not in use must be padlocked to prevent them from being accidentally activated. This is the case, for example, of gasoline engines. On the other hand, and this is particularly true in the transport sector, we are seeing more and more electric motors. If a gasoline engine engages inadvertently, you can hear it, but not an electric motor, which is silent. New rules must therefore be developed for the lockout of electric motors and ensure that they are consistent in all workplaces. This is one of our committee’s priorities. »
Training and union life
The training and union life committee differs from the other two committees because its mission is specific. “He is responsible for developing all the training offered by the FEESP to its affiliated unions,” explains President Carmelina Santoro.
Some of these trainings are generic and focus on union responsibilities: how to carry out one’s duties as a union executive, how to deal with grievances, how to negotiate a contract, and so on. Other courses are more specific. “For example, we provide training in ergonomics for people who work with a screen. The committee is also responsible for setting up training requested either by the other two committees, or by an activity sector, or even at the request of a particular union.