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In March 2009, the government introduced Bill 80 to amend the Construction Industry Labour Relations Act of 1992. The changes as outlined in the Backgrounder produced by the Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Labour include the following:
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| 1. Abandonment |
The new Act provides for abandonment of bargaining units by trade unions in the construction industry. Abandonment can be presumed if the union has taken no action to promote and enforce its bargaining rights for a period of 3 years and allows the Board to consider periods of inactivity before the Act comes into force. |
| 2. Alternative Unions |
The amendments will allow any union, not just the building craft unions, to apply for certification in the construction industry and allows wall-to-wall bargaining units. |
| 3. Maintenance Work |
Maintenance work has been removed from the Act and under the amended Act would be governed by the Trade Union Act for bargaining. |
| 4. Certification |
The amended Act would allow for certification by project. |
How is Merit involved in this issue? In June 2009, Merit made a presentation to the Standing Committee on Human Services in support of Bill 80. We will continue to voice our position and hope that our members will as well. We also encourage you to educate your employees on the issue by distributing the Bill 80 Fact Sheet |
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Additional Resources:
Sask Business Council Brochure
Star Phoenix Letter to the Editor
SCA - Star Phoenix Oct 16
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