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'These workers do an incredible job under unbelievably difficult circumstances each and every day, but they have reached a breaking point.' - Peter Olfert.
Winnipeg (11 June 2010) - Hundreds of Manitoba government employees took to the streets of Winnipeg this week to protest the government’s inaction in dealing with overcrowding at provincial jails, a backlog in dealing with accused offenders on remand and growing caseloads for workers dealing with individuals on probation.
Organizers of the rally, including the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union (MGEU/NUPGE), say these issues are getting worse, not better, and are having a ripple effect on those working with victims of crime and their families, with at-risk youth, with those involved in trying to manage the judicial system and with those who provide protective services to children.
“These workers do an incredible job under unbelievably difficult circumstances each and every day, but they have reached a breaking point,” says Peter Olfert, MGEU President. “This is no time for temporary fixes and short-term solutions, which has been the government’s solution to the challenges in the justice system. Things have gotten to the point where many of our people are seriously considering exercising their right, under Manitoba law, to refuse unsafe work or are leaving their professions because of stress and workload issues.”
Olfert says numerous dangerous incidents involving gang members incarcerated at Manitoba jails underline the need for substantive changes, including serious uprisings at correctional centres in Brandon, The Pas, Milner Ridge, Headingley, the Remand Centre in Winnipeg, the Manitoba Youth Centre and Agassiz Youth Centre.
"These are examples of the new reality at Manitoba jails, where the onerous task of separating and segregating gang members is now a huge part of the job," Olfert says.
“It’s a Rubick’s Cube when it comes to separating and segregating gang members and finding space to do this in already outrageously jammed facilities,” he adds. “The added burden is simply unmanageable, and the government’s solution to date has been to jam more people in and cut back on educational and other programs that are meant to rehabilitate individuals so recidivism rates decrease.”
Highest rate in Canada
Olfert says Manitoba has the highest recidivism rate in the country.
"If government doesn’t begin addressing this kind of thing right now, more and more people are going to be affected in our communities through increases in the crime rate, added stresses on families and a heavier reliance on government funded social programs," he argues.
Employees of the provincial justice department have been lobbying the Province for years to get serious about clearing a huge backlog of inmates on remand. Approximately 70% of inmates at provincial jails now are awaiting trial. Some will have to wait up to 1 1/2 years to have their day in court.
Such inmates are harder to manage, says Pat Gilbertson, MGEU's corrections component director.
“Because so many inmates are not sentenced, they are not eligible for the few programs available to inmates,” he adds. “So they sit there with little hope of getting to court in a reasonable time frame, jammed into overcrowded conditions, and with little to do. They’re embittered and they often take their frustrations out on those around them, including Corrections staff and other inmates.”
The MGEU, on behalf of the Manitoba justice workers it represents, is asking the government to:
- Begin construction of a new 750-bed facility to meet the demands of increasing inmate populations.
- Cease the practice of creating dormitory style capacity within provincial institutions when it is cell space that is most needed.
- Ensure safer working conditions for correctional officers and all other Manitoba justice employees.
- Convene a meeting of front-line workers in the justice system to allow them a voice in developing innovative, sustainable solutions to the ever increasing demands on the justice system.
“The employees who do this work on behalf of their fellow Manitobans have been ignored for years by this government, and they want an opportunity to help change the system,” says Olfert. “They know the system better than anyone and have ideas on how to improve it. Not heeding the advice of these professionals will put more people in harm’s way, and that includes staff and most certainly members of the public.”
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE