Business and farm groups asked the Commons Human Resources Committee to repeal or rewrite Bill C-58, which proposes to ban replacement workers during legal strikes. The bill, An Act To Amend The Canada Labour Code restricts federally regulated employers’ use of replacement workers in strikes or lockouts under threat of $100,000-per day fines, per Blacklock's Reporter.The amendment is government overreach, employers told the committee Thursday, arguing it would give small union locals disproportionate control over the Canadian economy.“A replacement worker ban gives very small bargaining units in large organizations an ability to shut down the entire organization,” testified Derrick Hynes, CEO of Federally Regulated Employers Transportation and Communications. “This can happen at an airline, an airport, a railway, a marine port or in telecom.”“Federal elected officials have known for decades this is a bad idea. Though it has come up at least a dozen times in the past 15 years it has always been rejected by parliamentarians.”“The right to strike is a fundamental right. Where I think we differ is we believe the right to strike and use of replacement workers can coexist in a system.”“The Minister of Labour reminds us 96% of all bargaining in the federal private sector ends without a work stoppage. While it is not perfect, the system is working. This bill is proposing to fix a problem that does not exist.”Jasmin Guénette, vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said shutdowns at federally regulated workplaces such as ports had a broad impact on small operators. “Seventy percent of our members are businesses under 10 employees,” testified Guénette. “The Federation represents the smallest of the small and what we have seen in the last few years when there were strikes at the Port of Montréal and British Columbia ports was an incredible impact.”“It takes a simple majority of 50%-plus-one of members in a bargaining unit who vote in favour of a strike to launch one. Should a vote that would paralyze a large and essential infrastructure like a port or railway and harm so many businesses not require a much higher threshold?”Todd Lewis, vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, testified even brief shutdowns such as a 13-day strike at the Port of Vancouver in July 2023 were far-reaching. “For a producer, when we don’t get shipping, we don’t get paid. If we don’t do shipping we lose sales as well and a lost sale we never recover from.”Lewis urged MPs to rewrite the bill to maintain shipments of farm exports in case of any strike or lockout. “From a producer standpoint, we are not at the table and we are greatly affected by these labour stoppages,” he said.Robert Ashton, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union that led the 2023 Port of Vancouver strike, said strikes are a last resort. “Strikes, they are actually horrible things to go through,” testified Ashton.“Strikes are the last choice for workers and unions. We want a fairly negotiated collective agreement at the table as fast as we can.”“This puts the balance of power in the employers’ hands as it keeps their products moving while at the same time turning worker against worker. This is a weapon of the bosses.”The bill includes a clause delaying enforcement 18 months from final passage. The United Steelworkers Union yesterday appealed to the committee to delete the clause.“If the government is serious about the law it needs to come into force before the next election,” testified Marty Warren, Steelworkers national director.“It is far easier for the next government, whatever stripe they may be, to scrap a law people haven’t yet been able to use. Workers can’t afford to wait.”
Business and farm groups asked the Commons Human Resources Committee to repeal or rewrite Bill C-58, which proposes to ban replacement workers during legal strikes. The bill, An Act To Amend The Canada Labour Code restricts federally regulated employers’ use of replacement workers in strikes or lockouts under threat of $100,000-per day fines, per Blacklock's Reporter.The amendment is government overreach, employers told the committee Thursday, arguing it would give small union locals disproportionate control over the Canadian economy.“A replacement worker ban gives very small bargaining units in large organizations an ability to shut down the entire organization,” testified Derrick Hynes, CEO of Federally Regulated Employers Transportation and Communications. “This can happen at an airline, an airport, a railway, a marine port or in telecom.”“Federal elected officials have known for decades this is a bad idea. Though it has come up at least a dozen times in the past 15 years it has always been rejected by parliamentarians.”“The right to strike is a fundamental right. Where I think we differ is we believe the right to strike and use of replacement workers can coexist in a system.”“The Minister of Labour reminds us 96% of all bargaining in the federal private sector ends without a work stoppage. While it is not perfect, the system is working. This bill is proposing to fix a problem that does not exist.”Jasmin Guénette, vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said shutdowns at federally regulated workplaces such as ports had a broad impact on small operators. “Seventy percent of our members are businesses under 10 employees,” testified Guénette. “The Federation represents the smallest of the small and what we have seen in the last few years when there were strikes at the Port of Montréal and British Columbia ports was an incredible impact.”“It takes a simple majority of 50%-plus-one of members in a bargaining unit who vote in favour of a strike to launch one. Should a vote that would paralyze a large and essential infrastructure like a port or railway and harm so many businesses not require a much higher threshold?”Todd Lewis, vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, testified even brief shutdowns such as a 13-day strike at the Port of Vancouver in July 2023 were far-reaching. “For a producer, when we don’t get shipping, we don’t get paid. If we don’t do shipping we lose sales as well and a lost sale we never recover from.”Lewis urged MPs to rewrite the bill to maintain shipments of farm exports in case of any strike or lockout. “From a producer standpoint, we are not at the table and we are greatly affected by these labour stoppages,” he said.Robert Ashton, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union that led the 2023 Port of Vancouver strike, said strikes are a last resort. “Strikes, they are actually horrible things to go through,” testified Ashton.“Strikes are the last choice for workers and unions. We want a fairly negotiated collective agreement at the table as fast as we can.”“This puts the balance of power in the employers’ hands as it keeps their products moving while at the same time turning worker against worker. This is a weapon of the bosses.”The bill includes a clause delaying enforcement 18 months from final passage. The United Steelworkers Union yesterday appealed to the committee to delete the clause.“If the government is serious about the law it needs to come into force before the next election,” testified Marty Warren, Steelworkers national director.“It is far easier for the next government, whatever stripe they may be, to scrap a law people haven’t yet been able to use. Workers can’t afford to wait.”
