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The federal government must pass Bill C-58 without delay, Unifor National President Lana Payne urged MPs on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities as the federal government begins its study on the long-anticipated anti-scab labour bill.
“Our union bargains a collective agreement practically every day in Canada, as do many other unions. The majority of those negotiations are concluded without a dispute,” said Payne, who was in Ottawa March 21 to make her statement.
“But still there are employers who refuse to respect the rights of workers in Canada who behave as if workers do not have Constitutional rights, and this is what brings me to the important need for C-58 to be adopted as law.”
Bill C-58 aims to reduce the intensity and length of labour disputes, restores balance in collective bargaining and boosts stability in workplaces.
The bill made its way through its second reading in the House of Commons with all-party support on Feb. 27, 2024, coincidentally the same day the CN Autoport strike began.
It’s clear that such legislation is needed more than ever. Autoport and CN Rail bussed scabs – replacement workers – across a legal picket line in the cover of night, during the first few hours of the strike, aggressively undermining the fundamental right to strike of 239 Unifor members in Halifax, described Payne.
“While at a bargaining table with us and a conciliator, CN was hiring and training scabs. That is not fair and free collective bargaining,” Payne told the committee.
Payne addressed that CN is a member of an organization called FETCO, which has vocally and actively lobbied against not just this legislation, but workers’ right to strike in Canada.
“I want to be very clear. This path proposed by FETCO leads to chaos,” she said.
“It will force working people and their unions to resort to more direct methods to enforce our collective rights, causing major challenges for employers, workers, and governments alike. It will not lead to labour peace. Indeed, the exact opposite.”
Since Unifor formed in 2013, the three longest labour disputes in terms of overall days lost involved the use of scabs. Labour disputes that involved scabs last on average six times longer than those without scabs.
Quebec and British Columbia are two provinces who have anti-scab legislation to prevent bosses from undermining the entire collective bargaining process.
The NDP government in Nova Scotia introduced legislation earlier this week to amend the Trade Union Act to protect workers on strike from their employer using replacement workers. Meanwhile, Manitoba is introducing anti-scab legislation.
“[C-58] modernizes Canada’s labour relations system to reflect the current social and economic context of this country, where increased corporate power and wealth requires an effective counter-balance,” said Payne. “C-58 must pass and be implemented without delay.”
Unifor is advocating for anti-scab legislation in every jurisdiction across Canada in hopes every worker’s Constitutional right to free and fair collective bargaining will be upheld.
Learn more about Unifor’s Anti-Scab campaign here and show your support by sharing this graphic on your social media networks.
