SIU of Canada members are the most important part of the Union, and our staff are dedicated to serving their needs. This is why, twice per year, the SIU of Canada brings together its port agents, patrolmen and dispatchers to better help them work together to provide the best service to members.
February 6-7, SIU of Canada employees met in Montreal to participate in professionally facilitated training sessions that refreshed the team on the Union’s goals and taught them best practices for engaging with media, members and resolving issues while keeping a positive attitude. Throughout the two days, employees were engaged, actively participating in training sessions and said they learned a lot about trusting one another to get the job done.
The staff participated in a number of activities which exhibited the comradery and brotherhood/sisterhood the SIU of Canada is built on. With every team, it is important to engage with each other in person, both professionally and socially, especially when staff are spread out all over the country.
The training was also a time for employees to share their ideas on improving Union services in 2019. Some suggestions included being able to print out a PDF version of The Sailor, SIU of Canada’s quarterly newsletter, for members who don’t use email or are on ships without reliable Wifi. Another suggestion was to create a short SIU pamphlet reminding members what the Union stands for and providing potential members with information on joining. These are some examples of things we have already started working to provide for our members and should be coming to you soon.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the training sessions. Keep up the good work! The SIU of Canada will continue to train our staff to better serve the needs of our brothers and sisters of the sea.
