The NDP introduced a private member’s bill, Bill C-248, that would close a loophole in Canada’s anti-scab laws. The Canada Labour Code prohibits employers from using replacement workers whose regular workplace differs from the struck site, but the current wording lets employers transfer management from other locations to do the work of locked-out or striking employees. The bill would extend the prohibition to management.
NDP leader Avi Lewis said the loophole “flies directly in the face of the law and the spirit of it.” The United Steelworkers said Rogers Communications already exploited it during a strike by USW Local 1944 in Abbotsford, bringing in out-of-town managers to cross the picket line and prolonging the dispute. Local president Michael Philips and USW national director Marty Warren both argued the use of replacement labour poisons workplace relations for years.
NDP labour critic Don Davies framed the bill as the third consecutive week the caucus has introduced legislation to strengthen unions, following Leah Gazan’s bill to remove section 107 from the labour code and Heather McPherson’s bill to prohibit employer-friendly unions.
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