Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, decent work, and enough income to live with dignity. On October 17, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, PSAC stands with workers and communities around the world calling for an end to poverty and inequality. 

This year, the United Nations is focusing on Safe Homes for All. More than 2.8 billion people worldwide do not have adequate housing. Here in Canada, rising costs, unaffordable housing, and insecure work are putting more pressure on workers and their families. 

Workers have the power to fight poverty 

Poverty is about more than income.  It’s about access to safe housing, good jobs, affordable and nutritious food, strong public services, and the resources people need to support themselves and their families. 

Unions are an important part of this fight. When workers come together to demand fair wages, job security, better working conditions, and strong public services, we help build stronger communities. 

Solidarity in action 

Through PSAC’s Social Justice Fund, our union supports workers and communities taking action against poverty and inequality in Canada and around the world. 

In Canada, PSAC helps supports organizations like the National Right to Housing Network and Food Secure Canada, while supporting a range of community organizations working to reduce poverty. 

Around the world, PSAC works with partners advancing workers’ rights, organizing and collective bargaining, helping workers build the power to raise wages, improve working conditions, and escape poverty. In the Philippines, for example, PSAC supports the Workers Assistance Center, which works with mostly women workers in export processing zones to strengthen their knowledge of their rights and their capacity to organize. 

These partnerships put solidarity into action by tackling some of the root causes of poverty and helping workers and communities build greater economic security.