'Egregious attack': Unions warn of labour unrest as province introduces bill to delay wage talks
Premier Jason Kenney, left, and Finance Minister Travis Toews speak about the government's finances on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, in Edmonton .
Unions representing thousands of Alberta workers are blasting the province for controversial legislation to delay wage talks, calling the move an “egregious attack” that could spur labour unrest.
Bill 9 — the Public Sector Wage Arbitration Deferral Act — was introduced Thursday and gives the province a “responsible path forward” to delay negotiations, said Finance Minister Travis Toews.
“This is not a removal of rights, it’s simply a postponement of process,” he told reporters ahead of the bill’s introduction. “Albertans elected this government to bring Alberta’s finances into balance.”
The bill delays talks until after Oct. 31.
Numerous union leaders were at the legislature to slam Bill 9, calling it an assault on the collective bargaining process and a “bully bill.”
“It’s about breaking legally binding contracts and imposing wage cuts on thousands and thousands of public sector workers, who have already willingly given two years of wage freezes as part of a good-faith effort to help the government deal with a bruising recession,” said Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan.
‘Level of anger … I haven’t seen in years’
Leaders from Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), United Nurses of Alberta, Alberta Teachers’ Association, Health Sciences Association of Alberta and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) joined forces to condemn the legislation.
Flanked by dozens of people in the rotunda, AUPE president Guy Smith called the bill an “egregious attack.”
He noted the union is supposed to be ramping up negotiations that will impact 70,000 members, including conservation officers, correctional officers, Alberta Health Services general staff, librarians, and others.
“This is authoritarian, this is ideological … and it does nothing but create labour unrest,” he said, adding members are ready to “take action.” He didn’t specify what that means, but said unions will seek legal counsel.
“The level of anger amongst our members is something I haven’t seen in years,” he said.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley also slammed the bill Thursday ahead of its introduction.
“It’s stunning,” she told reporters. “Weeks on the job and the government is bringing in a bad-faith bargaining bill.”
She said the NDP will debate the bill as long as it can and do whatever possible to stop it. The NDP voted against the bill in first reading.
‘Defensible path’
“It is a fundamental breach of the constitutional rights of unionized employees here in this province,” she said.
Arbitration for AUPE government services, AHS nursing care and general support services members started June 11. The agreements stipulate that wage talks re-open before June 30.
Bargaining units for post-secondary education and government boards and agencies are scheduled to enter arbitration as well, said AUPE.
“We believe we have a defensible path forward,” Toews said, adding that the province received legal advice on Bill 9.
He said the province is waiting for advice from the blue-ribbon panel headed by Janice MacKinnon.
In a research paper MacKinnon co-authored with economist Jack Mintz, she argued the Alberta government should reduce public sector compensation to “help to trim the deficit.”
https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2019/06/blog-post_287.html
WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF
🚨🚨Here's what you can do now🚨🚨
CONTACT ALBERTA'S LABOUR MINISTER and let him know a deal's a deal. Using legislation to break the terms of a negotiated collective agreement isn’t bargaining. It’s bullying.
📢By phone: Call Labour Minister Jason Copping at 780-638-9400 and call Finance Minister Travis Toews at 780-415-485.
📢By email: Email Labour Minister Jason Copping at labour.minister@gov.ab.ca and Finance Minister Travis Toews tbf.minister@gov.ab.ca.
📢On Twitter: Tweet Labour Minister Jason Copping @JasonCoppingMLA and the United Conservative Party @Alberta_UCP. Use hashtag #ableg
📢Talk to your coworkers: Ask them how they feel about this illegal attack you your rights, your wages and your jobs. Talk about what you’re prepared to do to take action. Show them how to join the fight.
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