[Community_Media] Labour Code Review Committee

[Bev Pausche]

The following material is available for release in your publications

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December 18, 2002

** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE **

B.C. Federation of Labour expects review committee to
balance the Labour Relations Code to protect workers' rights to Freedom of
Association and collective bargaining

B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair today urged the new Section
III Labour Relations Review Committee to heed calls for a balanced and fair
Labour Relations Code.

The Section III panel announced by the government earlier today was
established by the Liberals to deal with changes not implemented last March,
when the government forced through Bill 42, the Labour Relations Code
Amendment Act, Bill 48, the Employment Standards Amendment Act and Bill 49,
the Workers' Compensation Amendment Act.

"In response to pressure from employers, the Labour Minister changed labour
legislation in the last parliamentary session then pushed those through the
legislature in record time," said Sinclair.  "Now employers want even more,
even though sixty percent of the public says the Code is either balanced now
or biased in favour of employers."

"Courts across the country agree that an employer already holds the balance
of power by virtue of the fact that they can arbitrarily hire, fire and set
wage levels.  This legislation is supposed to address that imbalance by
outlining a workers' right to association and collective bargaining."

"I am disappointed that the vast majority of issues before the panel are
basically an employer bill of rights," said Sinclair.  "But Labour will
participate in the process and I will urge the panel to ensure consultation
is as broad as possible so that the workers and the public in as many
industries and communities as possible are represented." 

"Workers clearly lost a lot of ground when the government rammed through
changes to labour legislation and I'm disappointed to see that very few of
our concerns made it to the table," said Sinclair.  "A meaningful review
means that stakeholders must include the public and workers from as many
industries and communities as possible."
 
"The Liberals ripped up contracts that protected workers when their
employer's business changed hands, and they've obviously done that without
regard for a workers' legal right to contract protection," said Sinclair.
"We hope the committee will address some of the obvious disdain this
government has had on issues like successorship, contracting out and unfair
labour practices," said Sinclair. 

"Our polling results show almost half of those polled in the Island/Coastal
and Interior regions believe labour legislation is biased in favour of the
boss," said Sinclair.  "The government clearly wasn't listening to the
public last year, and we hope this panel will go some way toward correcting
the imbalance."

The results of the poll, conducted November 14-17, 2002 by CGT research, are
considered accurate to within 4.9 percent, 19 times out of 20. 

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For more information: Bev Pausche 604-220-0739 


opeiu 15


Bev Pausche
Communications Assistant
BC Federation of Labour

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