For Immediate Release
November 14, 2024
NDP MHA Jordan Brown (Labrador West) challenged government today on its commitment to workers’ rights, pointing out concerning issues with the Labour Relations Board.
The NDP Caucus continues to hear from unions across the province on the lack of accountability and efficiency of the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Relations Board. Brown points out that even though legislation states that the period for a vote to take place and be counted by the Board is five days, unions have been waiting from three weeks up to almost seven weeks to hear anything back on their union vote. This delays workers from exercising their charter right to form a union.
Brown says this gives employers time to try to coerce workers into not unionizing, and even sometimes penalizing workers for exercising their right to unionize. Unions and workers continue to raise their concerns but have seen no action from government. Brown asked the Minister, “Why isn’t she addressing these issues?”
Brown has a solution to the Minister to help avoid the backlogs: Card-check certification. Card check was briefly introduced and quickly reversed in this province in 2014 by the Conservative government. The Liberals have never reinstated it. Currently, if 40% of workers sign a union card, the Labour Relations Board will hold a vote; with card-check (also known as single-step) certification, if a clear majority of workers sign union authorization cards, they can form a union without the extra time used to hold a vote. This voting step not only complicates matters and drags out the process, but gives unscrupulous employers added time to use their influence and pressure their workers out of voting for the union. Brown asked the Minister, “When will her government reintroduce card check?”
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca
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