In 40% of strikes and lockouts in the federal private sector, they use replacement workers, according to Labour department data..By the end of the year, the Cabinet plans to present a law to stop this practice, according to Blacklock’s Reporter..“Between June 2011 and October 2022, there were 75 work stoppages in federally regulated sectors,” said a department memo Legislation To Prevent the Hiring of Replacement Workers. .“Labour program research suggests replacement workers or managers were used in 40% of these work stoppages, that is 30 of the 75, to perform some or all of the work of bargaining unit members who were on strike or locked out.”.Across the country, only two provinces, British Columbia and Québec, have laws that do not allow the use of replacement workers during strikes or lockouts..In 2022, the Cabinet made a deal with the New Democrats and agreed to present a similar bill in the Commons by December 31, 2024..The newly disclosed memo dated February 3 acknowledged “we have committed to introducing legislation by the end of 2023.”.It gave no deadline for passage..“Employers and unions have strong views when it comes to prohibiting replacement workers and what effect this will have on labour relations going forward,” said the memo..The labour department had five meetings with business and labour groups, but there was no consensus..“Union representatives argued for a strong prohibition on replacement workers with robust mechanisms,” said the memo. .“By contrast, employer representatives argued that prohibiting replacement workers is not necessary and that doing so will destabilize labour relations in federal sectors leading to more and longer work stoppages.”.On March 29, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said the meetings were "messy" but needed to happen..“It was messy, you know,” said O’Regan. .“How are we going to get through this together?”.“I sat in them,” said O’Regan. .“We had even the placement of seats, you know, we didn’t have unions on one side and employers on the other. Everybody sat around interspersed and it was messy.”.The Liberal Party in its 2021 campaign platform Forward for Everyone promised “legislation to prohibit the use of replacement workers, ‘scabs,’ when a union employer in a federally regulated industry has locked out employees.”.“What we agreed to with the NDP was by the end of the year and that’s what we’ll stick to,” said O’Regan. .“We’ve got to get it right. We’ve got to. This is one of the most monumental changes to collective bargaining in Canadian labour history. It’s a big deal, so I want to get it right.”.“You are looking at passing the bill next year?” asked a reporter. .“Yes, that would be the idea,” replied O’Regan.
