July 22, 2010

Unions ready for competition with passage of Saskatchewan’s Bill 80

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

The competition between union contractors in Saskatchewan is beginning to heat up, as the controversial Bill 80 takes effect in the province.

“We are obviously going on with business as usual and will try to increase our market share,” said Terry Parker, business manager of the Saskatchewan Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council.

“We are not afraid to compete with the CLAC (Christian Labour Association of Canada), but we want everyone to compete under the same system.”

Amendments to the Saskatchewan Construction Industry Labour Relations Act took effect on July 1.

The controversial bill was passed on May 19 in the last days of the spring sitting of the legislature.

It eliminates the government-mandated monopoly that required unionized construction workers to belong to a government-designated union for their trade or craft.

The amendments allow a trade union to organize a company on a multi-trade, or “all employee” basis, as well as on a craft, or single-trade basis. It also allows any trade union to be certified by an employer.

“Bill 80 encompasses a lot of things, but the main thing now is the new legislation allows any union to organize in construction,” said Brad Bent, CLAC’s Saskatchewan director.

Under the Construction Industry Labour Relations Act, 1992 (CILRA) companies were required to belong to a representative employers’ organization (REO), which bargains on their behalf.

The legislation designated unions to represent workers in particular trades and ensured all bargaining took place between REOs and unions designated by the government.

Single employers and unions were prohibited from negotiating a separate collective agreement.

“Workers in Saskatchewan can now be represented by CLAC and enjoy all the benefits, such as pensions,” said Bent.

“It is now legal to do this. Bill 80 introduces competition for the unionized construction sector and it is not just handed to the building trades.”

Parker doesn’t believe it is necessary to focus too much attention on the entry of CLAC into the province. He said the building trades council will continue to focus on all the thing that have made them successful in the past.

“I think we have better benefits, wages package and collective agreements,” he said.

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