Hugo has been active in the union for over ten years. He is now a steward and delegate for the PIPSC CS group and has been engaged in many projects and campaigns. He believes that there are a variety of ways of being involved and supporting the union, sometimes it’s even as simple as speaking up about what you need in your workplace.
“Our union is not a company that provides services. Our union is an organization that is there for us and it’s driven by the engagement of members,” he says. “By getting involved at different levels, we can stay close to our members. We can ensure that the decisions and actions taken by the union are based on what members want. But, this takes all our engagement.”
Hugo is passionate about meeting the needs of fellow union members – providing information, advocating in the workplace, giving training and encouraging everyone to make their voices heard.
“I’m most proud of my work as a steward to make sure every person is having a good experience,” he says. “When the members are happy and having a good work experience they can have a bigger impact on improving the public service.”
“We can make a difference in the lives of individuals. As a result, we can make a difference in government systems to make workplaces safer and better for every worker,” he says.
Hugo studied Computer Engineering at the University of Sherbrooke before becoming a computer systems analyst at Environment and Climate Change Canada in Montreal. As a child, Hugo was always interested in the latest technologies and developments in engineering which eventually formed his career path and passion.
As a High Performance Computing Application Supervisor, Hugo works on digital models that predict, amongst other things, the paths of forest fires and the concentration of air pollutants. This data is essential for evidence-based decision making that saves peoples’ lives.
In a lot of ways, Hugo sees how the advocacy work he does with the union has a domino effect that ripples from coast to
coast to coast.
“A better Canada has more equity and justice. It means providing people with access to important resources without leaving their pockets empty,” he says. “We don’t just represent our members, but we represent a good portion of the population that has similar issues.”
When we fight for our pensions, we are also fighting for retirement security for all people in Canada. When we push for fair contracts, we are raising the bar for all workers. When we take a stand for pharmacare, it’s in solidarity with workers without health benefits.
Unions must be a part of the movements that improve human rights and the rights of all workers. The strength of our union is found in members like Hugo who stand up for workers’ issues and who make a difference in the everyday lives of people across Canada.