Unemployed energy workers demand province’s support
EDMONTON A group of engineers and technical services workers gathered Tuesday at the Alberta legislature to protest jobs in their field being outsourced.
Wielding signs with slogans like “Stop job drain” and “Publish real unemployment numbers,” they complained the province wasn’t being straight with them about job losses in the energy sector.
Sam Jayaraman, who was speaking for an informal group called the Association of Calgary Engineers and Designers and worked in project management before being laid off two years ago, wants the government to focus on job creation.
Jayaraman said he appreciated the government’s efforts in locking certain professions, including engineering, out of the temporary foreign worker program and now he wants the province to champion the group’s cause to the federal government.
Jayaraman came to Canada for work and says jobs are leaving the country almost as fast as newcomers arrive.
Most of the protesters were from Calgary and travelled in a Red Arrow bus to Edmonton, where they joined others from around the province.
Siva Karatholuvu, who travelled from Calgary, said his profession has been targeted for outsourcing and the government has been flatfooted.
If an energy company says it’s outsourcing 10 per cent of its staff, that usually means it’s 90 per cent engineering and technical services staff, he said. He’s been out of work since July and is worried he’ll lose everything he’s worked for.
A group of Wildrose and Progressive Conservative MLAs joined the protesters and spoke to reporters, focusing mainly on the province’s carbon tax.
PC caucus leader Ric McIver complained that no government ministers had attended and at one point he upbraided an NDP staffer present for her bosses’ failure to show.
The NDP said no invitation had been extended to the government and Jayaraman said he had already met with officials from the energy, labour and economic development ministries.
Economic Development Minister Deron Bilous said he planned to meet with the protesters after question period Tuesday.