If a deal isn’t reached in 15 days, the Canadian Industrial Relations Board would handle the issue within 90 days. Such a deal would need to come within 15 days after notice is given for collective bargaining. It also includes language about requiring both sides in a bargaining process to work toward a deal about what work they consider necessary to continue in the event of a strike or lockout. The legislation includes exceptions for situations in which replacing workers would be necessary to prevent threats to health and safety, or would help to avoid serious property or environmental damage. Only about 34 per cent of the workers covered by the bill are unionized.
The legislation does not apply to provincially or territorially regulated employees either. It would affect about a million employees.īut it would not apply to the federal public service, where employees are covered by different sections of the Canada Labour Code, officials said. It would apply to federally regulated industries, including banking, telecommunications, ports and airports, along with most Crown corporations. The bill, introduced by Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, would fine companies $100,000 a day for every violation. OTTAWA - Replacement workers would be banned during strikes and lockouts at federally regulated workplaces under new government legislation introduced Thursday in the House of Commons.
