Most COPE Local 343 members fall under provincial jurisdiction for workplace health and safety matters. The legislation that governs our workplaces is the Occupational Health and Safety Act (the Act)
The Act and its regulations provide workers with three basic rights in terms of occupational health and safety. They are: the right to know, the right to refuse and the right to participate. Other minimum standards for safeguarding the health and well being of workers are outlined in the Regulations for Industrial Establishments and a range of other regulations and standards.
In June of 2010, Bill 168 came into force, amending the Act with respect to violence and harassment in the workplace. The amendments represented the most significant changes to the Act in almost two decades. They provide definitions of workplace violence and harassment and sets out the obligations for employers and employees, including addressing violence and harassment outside of the workplace.
COPE Local 343 encourages all members to play an informed role in their workplace in cases of workplace injury, illness and fatality prevention. The following web site links will assist you in raising your awareness about occupational health and safety issues. They will also provide information enabling you to identify hazards and seek measures to control them thereby safeguarding your health and that of your co-workers.
COPE Local 343 consists of 1700+ members and 97 collective agreements across Canada. Local 343 is an autonomous Local and the largest COPE Local in Ontario.
Ethiraju has been a member of COPE Local 343 for the last 25+ years with an
extensive accounting and financial background. A friend and colleague once
told him that if you want to see change, you need to get involved, and so he did. Ethiraju has been a steward, a bargaining committee member, and sits on multiple committees at Local 343. Advocating for those who are not able to and helping others and social justice has always been a strong value of his, and he will continue to do that at the board level! Ethiraju believe in a more just world. In his spare time, he love to spend time with his family, his dog Maya, enjoys gardening, talking about politics, and making the best biriyani in town!
