IBEW Local 2085
Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Friends,
Something incredible happened yesterday in Canada's House of Commons. Bill C-58, the legislation banning the use of scabs in the federally regulated private sector, received all-party support and passed unanimously at its third reading in the House of Commons. While the bill still needs to pass through the Senate, it is clear that strong anti-scab laws are popular in Canada.
As you know, Jagmeet Singh and Canada's NDP as well as the Canadian Labour Congress have been pushing for strong anti-scab legislation at the federal level, with the NDP making it a requirement of their Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Liberals.
Bill C-58 is now the gold standard when it comes to anti-scab laws in Canada. It has broad application, prohibiting employers from using both external replacement workers and internal scabs. And it has strong enforcement tools, making violation of the law an offence, subject to fines of $100,000 per day for employers who violate the ban on replacement workers, while also treating that violation as an Unfair Labour Practice, with additional remedies to be ordered by the Board.
The MFL will continue to push to ensure that Manitoba's anti-scab legislation meets this gold standard set by Canada's NDP and the CLC, including banning external and internal scabs and establishing serious financial penalties for employers who violate this ban.
In Solidarity,
Kevin Rebeck
President of the Manitoba Federation of Labour