Protect the right to secure retirement

It used to astonish me when politicians would claim their main focus is the welfare of their constituents, then enact legislation that hurts them.

In Hamilton we have witnessed the lack of care and concern politicians have for the welfare of those they represent. Steelworkers have lost some of their retirement benefits and may well lose more/all of them in the future. Sears retirees are in the same predicament, losing some or all of their benefits and some may actually lose their pensions or, at a minimum, have them reduced. In both situations management was able to continue with their full pay and benefits and receive bonuses.

Many people blame the courts for this amoral legal stranglehold on current and retired employees’ quality of life. The courts only enforce the law of the land. Politicians enact the laws that have viciously attacked the working men and women of Canada.

If we lived in a system based on justice, the people who worked for 30 years to provide the corporation with profits would be guaranteed the pensions and benefits they earned. It is ironic that the management team that oversaw the demise of the corporation continue to receive their full benefits while front-line workers are tossed aside to fend for themselves.

Federal and provincial politicians must revise the laws to ensure those who earned a secure retirement are guaranteed that security. Bill Sullivan, Hamilton