The federal government cannot claim to defend Canadian jobs while weakening workers’ right to fight for fair wages, safe workplaces, and job security.
Prime Minister Carney’s government proposed changes to the Canada Labour Code will entrench Section 107, undermining the collective bargaining rights of workers and ignoring what the government heard from workers during the publicconsultations. Any new restriction on the right to strike is unacceptable.
The ability of the government to appoint a special mediator early in the negotiation process further reduces the incentive for the employer to bring their best offer to the table and unnecessarily delays bargaining.
Our members know this from first-hand experience. The Public Interest Commission (PIC) process, under the Federal Public Service Labour Relations Action (FPSLRA), serves a similar purpose but has rarely resolved impasses in bargaining. Instead, it causes months-long delays, increases animosity, and often sends both sides back to the bargaining table without a meaningful path to a settlement.
PICs have been so ineffective that the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board has previously agreed to bypass the process, and PSAC has called for PICs to be removed from the FPSLRA.
The right to strike and to collectively bargain is protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It helps workers secure better conditions for themselves and their families, and it strengthens communities.
Employers already have enormous power over the workplace. Workers balance that power by acting together and, when necessary, withdrawing their labour.
Over the past two years, the government has invoked Section 107 at an unprecedented pace in the provision’s four-decade history, tipping the scales in employers’ favour and weakening workers’ bargaining power. When employers expect the government to step in and end a dispute, they have less reason to negotiate a fair deal in the first place.
During a cost-of-living crisis, the government should be protecting workers’ rights instead of taking the side of wealthy corporations. Workers need real bargaining power to secure their fair share.
While the majority of PSAC members fall under the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act rather than the Labour Code, an attack on any workers’ right to strike is an attack on the entire labour movement. PSAC will continue to fight alongside other labour unions for a full repeal of Section 107 and to protect the right to strike for all workers.
If the government wants better labour relations it must strengthen the obligation to bargain in good faith and protect the collective bargaining process.
This article was first published on the PSAC website.
