Share
On January 16 Unifor area director Frank Wright led a delegation of members at a meeting with Manitoba’s Minister of Labour and Immigration Malaya Marcelino, Unifor’s first in-person meeting with a government cabinet minister since Premier Wab Kinew and the Manitoba NDP were elected in October 2023.
“Unifor members worked tirelessly to elect a worker-friendly government,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director. “After the election, our work continues in the form of lobbying and campaigning to ensure workers are front-and-centre in the legislative agenda.”
Unifor used the January 16 meeting to follow up about the benefits restoring single-step union certification (aka “card check”). Past experience in Manitoba, other provinces (Quebec, B.C. and Alberta), and the federal sector demonstrates that single-step certification (SSC) improves success rates of union drives, thereby increasing union density.
Unifor presented Marcelino with a proposal to implement SSC without delay at a democratic threshold of 50% +1, as is precedent in Quebec and the federal sector. Marcelino confirmed that restoring single-step certification is a priority although the government has not yet made a decision on details.
Members also raised the pressing need to “level the playing field” with employers by banning the use of scabs. Manitoba has relied on mandatory arbitration after 60 days of a strike or lock-out to abbreviate strikes, but Unifor members argued that this is insufficient to deter employers from forcing workers onto a picket line. The 2022 Manitoba Hydro strike is the latest example of employers using scabs during Unifor job action.
Marcelino said that her government is committed to exploring anti-scab legislation, and that both issues raised by Unifor members have already been presented to the government’s labour-management review committee and recommendations should be forthcoming in the spring.
The minister was eager to share that the government intends to restore mediation and conciliation services. The government is also prioritizing foreign credential recognition so that new Canadians can put their skills to use sooner.
After the meeting, Unifor Local 2169 member Anthony Cuenca talked about how much this final issue resonates with him: “This topic hits home for me. My mother has a nursing degree from the Philippines but is only recognized as being qualified for an aide position. The difficulties to go back to school and raise a family in new country are not easy. Manitoba is experiencing serious shortages in the health care, so foreign credential recognition and expedited accreditation can relieve a lot of the pressure on the system.”
