Prostitutes should be allowed the protection of union membership, delegates to a Canadian Union of Public Employees convention in St. John's were told on Monday.

The provincial union's annual convention included a panel discussion on the decriminalization of sex trade work, a discussion that echoed comments made two weeks ago by union president Wayne Lucas.

Lucas called for organizing sex workers to make their work safer.

Wayne Lucas
Wayne Lucas

On the panel was Jenn Clamen, an activist with the International Union of Sex Workers, who said prostitutes deserve the same rights as any other worker.

"If you are criminalized you don't have access to human rights; you don't have access to labour rights," she said.

"We would like to see decriminalization of sex work so that sex workers can work in health and safety."

Clamen's fellow panelist, national Pink Triangle Committee member Kevin Hicks, said the union should work to "offer protection against discrimination and harassment to individuals in the sex trade for simply trying to work for a living."

The union leaders say they are not actively working to organize prostitutes.

CUPE equality representative Joe Courtney said the union will call on the Canadian Labour Congress to look into the possibility of organizing sex workers.