Pallister Government Takes Aim at Manitoba's Public Sector Unions

The Pallister Government dropped a bill (Bill 16) this week to gut Manitoba’s Labour Relations Act. Among the most egregious provisions of the bill are the elimination of the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process, mandating costly and onerous financial reporting requirements upon unions, and liberalizing the union decertification process.

IFPTE President Paul Shearon commented that “this is a radical and punitive bill intended to weaken unions and erode the due process and collective bargaining protections of government workers. IFPTE will work with our Locals in Manitoba, particularly WAPSO/IFPTE Local 162, whose members are directly impacted by the bill, in opposition to this legislation.” WAPSO/IFPTE Local 162 President and Canadian Area Vice President Richard Mahe also weighed-in, saying, "Once again the provincial government appears to see workers as a burden. It’s hard to see this as anything but an ideological and unnecessary swipe at the organizations' members rely on to protect them. It’s even more tone-deaf that it’s happening during the worst public health crisis in a century.”

Read the text of Bill 16.