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    • Federal NDP, unions happy Liberals will include strikes in anti-scab law

    Seamus O'Regan, Minister of Labour and MP for St. John's South-Mount Pearl, speaks at the Confederation Building in St. John's on Feb. 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly Seamus O'Regan, Minister of Labour and MP for St. John's South-Mount Pearl, speaks at the Confederation Building in St. John's on Feb. 14, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly
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    OTTAWA -

    Including striking workers in a proposed anti-scab bill was a 鈥渕ajor component鈥 of negotiations while hashing out a confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberal government, according to the NDP.

    The deal promises to introduce a new law by the end of next year that would ban the use of replacement workers 鈥 also known as "scabs" 鈥 if unionized workers in federally regulated sectors are locked out or on strike.

    鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge win,鈥 said Matthew Green, the NDP鈥檚 deputy labour critic.

    鈥淭he use of importing replacement workers 鈥 completely undermines the democratic principles of having unions and collective bargaining.鈥

    The Liberals committed to limit the use of replacement workers in their 2021 election platform, and that is repeated in the mandate letter for Labour Minister Seamus O鈥橰egan.

    But there鈥檚 a key difference: the mandate letter specifies the rules would apply when workers are locked out by their employer. The deal with the NDP also includes workers who are on strike.

    A spokesperson for O鈥橰egan鈥檚 office said the change is 鈥渞eflective of ongoing conversations and feedback from stakeholders,鈥 but Green said the NDP is taking credit for 鈥渦sing our power鈥 to put it on the table.

    The Canadian Labour Congress said that difference is important because almost 85 per cent of federal work stoppages are strikes, not lockouts.

    Unions have been lobbying for the change for decades, and both the Bloc Qu茅b茅cois and the NDP have introduced anti-scab bills in the past. They鈥檝e all been defeated by Liberal and Conservative votes.

    In 2007 then-Bloc MP Richard Nadeau told the House of Commons he wanted to amend the Canada Labour Code 鈥渢o prohibit strikebreakers鈥 and 鈥渆nd the disparity between the labour codes of Canada and Quebec.鈥

    Quebec鈥檚 law was adopted by the Ren茅 L茅vesque government in 1977 after a number of bitter labour conflicts. British Columbia is the only other Canadian jurisdiction with a similar law, which has been on the books since 1993.

    The Public Service Alliance of Canada, whose 240,000 members include the federal public service, said it welcomes the pledge. But national president Chris Aylward said the government 鈥渕ust move quickly to enact it.鈥

    That cautious optimism was echoed by Mark Hancock, the national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

    鈥淚鈥檒l really believe it when I see it, but we鈥檙e really happy about it,鈥 he said.

    Hancock said bringing in replacement workers shifts the power dynamic in a labour dispute.

    鈥淚t鈥檚 like dropping a grand piano on a scale,鈥 he said.

    鈥淲hen we go on strike and we鈥檙e giving up that paycheque, it鈥檚 a strong incentive for us to stay at the bargaining table and work out a deal. Employers who can utilize scab labour don鈥檛 have that same incentive to negotiate in good faith.鈥

    Toronto labour lawyer Chantel Goldsmith said anti-replacement worker laws, on the other hand, give unions 鈥渁 ton of leverage鈥 during collective bargaining and could be 鈥渉ugely detrimental鈥 to employers.

    鈥淚f the employer knows that they can鈥檛 have a replacement worker, then their hands are almost tied in that they have to kind of agree with the union鈥檚 demands,鈥 she said.

    A 2009 study in the journal Canadian Public Policy found that anti-scab laws lead to more strikes 鈥 but shorter ones.

    In addition to the federal public service, the proposed rules would apply to many federal Crown corporations as well as broadcasting and telecommunications companies, grain elevators, feed and seed mills, and transportation infrastructure including airlines, airports, ports, marine shipping, railways and road transportation services.

    Given those important transportation links, there could be wider implications on supply chains and other businesses if strikes become more frequent.

    鈥淎fter two years of pandemic where small businesses have been hurt by the pandemic, many of them had to contract a huge level of debt,鈥 said Jasmin Gu茅nette, the vice-president of national affairs with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

    鈥淭he impact of work stoppage for those large companies has a direct impact on many small businesses 鈥 because they rely on (that) infrastructure to get access to the products that they need, or products they need to ship.鈥

    The hope for the NDP is that provincial governments will follow the federal government鈥檚 lead, once the changes become law.

    鈥淲e have to hold them accountable to the commitments they鈥檝e made in the agreement,鈥 Green said.

    The federal labour minister said the Liberals will draft the bill carefully.

    鈥淚t is important that we get this right and we鈥檒l be consulting with stakeholders and conducting policy research and analysis before legislation is brought forward,鈥 O鈥橰egan said in a statement.

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2022. 

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