78.7 Collective Bargaining
Whereas, The many lawful and unlawful strikes, and practices, such as booking off sick, study sessions, etc., which are part of the present collective bargaining system, are responsible for inconvenience, expense, and lack of freedom to the public as individuals and as proprietors and employees of businesses not involved in the strike;
Whereas, These same abuses of the collective bargaining process contribute to defiance of the law, leading to criminal behaviour and to a general lack of respect for the law.
Whereas, Losses to the economy and welfare of the country as a whole through strikes and slow-downs and high awards resulting from them, make Canada non-competitive in world markets – and undesirable as a place for capital investment; and,
Whereas, The growing resentment by the public of these abuses of the collective bargaining process may lead to a complete breakdown of the system; therefore be it,
RESOLVED, That the National Council of Women of Canada urge the Government of Canada to:
- Encourage the parties to a contract to carry on regular negotiations through its term, rather than leave negotiations to the end of the term of the contract, when pressures for settlement would create unhappy compromises;
- Establish a permanent neutral body acceptable to management and labour, independent of any government department and composed of public members only to (a) determine procedures for resolving industrial disputes and (b) handle disputes when negotiations break down;
- Urge the parties, before resorting to strikes or lockouts, to make choices among conciliation and mediation, non-binding arbitration, special industrial inquiry, including the functions of fact-finding and making recommendations, postponement of work stoppage, and special bargaining and consultative procedures, such as single-team bargaining, being promoted by McGill’s Industrial Relations Centre;
- Require that a settlement made in good faith at the bargaining table be made to stand; that its, both employee and employer having ratified the settlement, reached by negotiating committees with authority.
- Ensure, when a strike does occur, that ordinary original law and existing labour laws regarding conduct of the strike by both employees and employer are strictly enforced, with no unlawful mass-picketing, lockout, criminal violence or threats — the government enforcing the laws during the strike as it would in ordinary circumstances.