(Montreal) The adoption of anti-scab legislation in sectors under federal jurisdiction would risk upsetting the current balance of power between the parties, harming the confidence of foreign markets in the Canadian economy and depriving citizens of goods related to their health.
This is what the Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ) maintains in a brief it sent to the federal government, which launched a consultation on the advisability of regulating the use of replacement workers in the event of strike or lockout. The issue of essential services to be maintained in the event of a strike or lockout is also addressed.
The unions have been campaigning for years to obtain an “anti-scab law” in companies under federal jurisdiction, as has existed in Quebec for more than 40 years.
But the Conseil du patronat believes that legislating on the matter at the federal level would upset the balance in the balance of power between the parties, to the benefit of the unions.
If the federal Minister of Labor ever decides to legislate to regulate the use of replacement workers, the CPQ asks that the ban only apply to people outside the company on strike or locked out.
He also asks that the definition of essential services to be maintained be entrusted to the Federal Court rather than to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.