Bill C-39 is a sweeping piece of legislation that aims to make significant changes to the Canada Labour Code, some of which will undermine workers’ right to strike in Canada.
To simplify what this means for workers: C-39 includes one very bad change and two good ones that need all of our attention.
The bad:
The new powers for the Labour Minister to unilaterally end a strike will be used to effectively undermine our Constitutional right to strike in the federal sector and violates international law. Workers know that there is no free bargaining without the right to strike.
The good:
Workers could gain successorship rights for airport workers, protecting against the loss of union protections when contracts are flipped.
Workers may also get access to First Contract Arbitration when employers refuse to negotiate a contract after new union certification.
Unifor, and many Unifor local unions, responded to the first and second round of government consultations on the matter over the summer.
We warned that changes limiting the legal right to strike, would push workers too far.
Our union will be proposing amendments to the sections of the bill that restrict collective bargaining and the right to strike, while being clear about the necessity to support first contract arbitration and put an end to contract-flipping.
Read the summary of relevant changes included in this omnibus bill.
