(Montreal) The federal government’s consultation on the ban on the use of replacement workers in the event of a strike or lockout ends; unions are planning a demonstration on this occasion.
Federal Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan launched a consultation last October on the use of such “scabs” in businesses under federal jurisdiction. Interested parties should submit their comments by January 31st.
“To ensure that all workers in federally regulated industries continue to have a valid right to strike, the government has committed to introduce legislation by the end of 2023 to prohibit the use of replacement workers”, recalls the federal government in the documentation that accompanies its consultation.
“The Government of Canada knows that the ability to form a union, to bargain collectively and to strike is essential to a healthy workforce. These rights allow workers to act together and improve the power imbalance between workers and their employer,” added Ottawa.
These companies are in telecommunications, banking, air, rail and maritime transport, as well as most federal crown corporations, such as Canada Post.
“From 1er January 2012 to 1er August 2022, the Labor Program estimates that employers brought in other workers and managers to do some or all of the work of striking or locked-out employees in approximately 42% of cases. t one in the documentation made available by the Ministry of Labor for consultation.
“It does not mean that the employer continued to operate at full capacity during the entire strike or lockout. It only means that at some point during the strike or lockout in question, the employer called on another person to perform the work of a striking or locked out employee. your.
Unions and bosses
Several unions, including the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Steelworkers, plan to demonstrate Tuesday in Ottawa, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to maintain pressure on the federal government.
These two major unions are currently affected by a labor dispute under federal jurisdiction, namely a lockout at the Port of Quebec (CUPE) and a strike at Ocean Remorquage in Sorel-Tracy (Metallos).
Unions have been calling for such provisions in the Canada Labor Code – as it exists in Quebec – for years, even decades.
Employer organizations, such as the Conseil du patronat du Québec, argue that prohibiting the use of replacement workers would unbalance the balance of power in favor of union members.
The CPQ believes that this would even harm the confidence of foreign markets in Canadian companies.