In February 2024 the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees did a survey of its members who work for the Canadian Coast Guard. We asked the members questions about training, health and safety, fatigue management and harassment. We also conducted a follow-up focus group with a number of UCTE members who were part of this survey group.
Here are some Highlights from that Survey and the follow-up focus group.
Training
Many members feel that training is hard to get. In some regions they only have one week a year designated as Training Week and all training must be done during that week. It means that both seats and participation are limited. They felt that much more training needs to be available to all employees.
Health and Safety
Most members have adequate Health and Safety protection at work. But CCG members at many remote or isolated areas talked about the lack of OSH training and for smaller operations there. There is also very little OSH support or training. In some areas local committees were functioning well and in others they were not well organized. On vessels, it was customary to have only one person receive OSH training.
Fatigue Management
Most members who work aboard vessels experience sleepiness. They are aware of their rights in this area, but sometimes operational requirements do not allow them to get the adequate rest periods they need. Few employees appear to have received fatigue management awareness training. This is an emerging area of concern for workers in the marine sector and everyone who needs fatigue management training should receive it as soon as possible.
Harassment
The level of harassment reported by members at CCG is alarming. Almost 40% reported experiencing harassment. Mostly, this was not just one event but a series of incidents. Senior managers, local managers and co-workers have all perpetrated harassment. 60% of victims did not report it to CCG. The majority of those who did were unsatisfied. For most, the offender is still working in their unit.
CCG members talked about the many difficulties that harassment was causing in their workplace and how hard it was to get management to address these concerns.