Labour Code changes will increase transparency amid high-profile bargaining disputes, Hajdu says

Labour Code changes will increase transparency amid high-profile bargaining disputes, Hajdu says VANMALA SUBRAMANIAM FUTURE OF WORK REPORTER PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO Open this photo in gallery: Canadian Pacific Kansas City employees in Toronto after CN and CPKC locked them out following unsuccessful negotiation attempts with the Teamsters union in 2024. Unions argue changes to the Labour Code could erode workers’ write to strike. CARLOS OSORIO/REUTERS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. The federal Jobs Minister is defending controversial new amendments to the Canada Labour Code, saying the changes will lead to greater transparency of employer-worker disputes and not undermine workers’ right to strike. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Patty Hajdu, minister of jobs and families, defended the government’s proposed amendments to the Canada Labour Code, which include new language that gives the minister in charge of industrial relations the power to intervene to end a strike if it “adversely affects the national interest.” The right of workers to strike is enshrined in the Canadian Constitution. Unions have expressed outrage at the new amendments, saying they effectively disregard workers’ constitutional right to withdraw their labour, and entrench the involvement of the government in labour disputes. But Ms. Hajdu said the reforms do not violate the Constitution, noting that her department repeatedly consulted with union representatives and employers on the federal government’s Tripartite Advisory Council for Labour Policy before proposing amendments to the Labour Code. “We did consider the constitutional right to strike when coming up with these changes,” she said. “It was members of the Tripartite Advisory Council who told us to make sure the changes we propose do not jeopardize relationships, because 95 per cent of labour negotiations end without a strike. There are healthy relationships between unions and employers,” she added. The proposed changes to the Canada Labour Code are part of the Building Canada Strong Act, a sweeping new omnibus bill tabled on Monday that aims to speed up approval of major projects and limit supply chain disruptions. AFN criticizes federal push to set timelines for major project approvals The Canada Labour Code governs approximately 1.4 million federally regulated employees who work in the public service and…