January 7, 2011 - Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

Protecting the Labour Rights of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in a Globalized World
Conclusion
Workers in Canada haven’t had legal rights in the workplace for very long. It took
us until the 1940s to win recognition rights and the right to negotiate with employers. It
wasn’t until the 1960s that public sector workers achieved collective bargaining rights.
None of these rights were given. It took perseverance, militancy and years of
struggle. And no sooner had the labour movement won them than these rights were
being challenged and even denied.
Every generation of workers comes to the sobering realization that our rights
exist only to the extent that they are struggled for, won and preserved. It is generally
accepted that the right to organize, the right to representation and the right to bargain
collectively are basic human rights. The right to form and join unions is a foundation of
democracy. It is in the exercise of those rights that workers make progress.
Workers’ rights get expressed or denied in a number of ways. There is Canada’s
constitution, our governments’ obligations and commitments to international standards
and there are labour codes and labour laws.
Throughout our history, trade unions in Newfoundland and Labrador have fought
for gains not just for themselves, but all citizens. It is because what we desire for
ourselves we wish for all. Whether it is labour standards, minimum wages, workers’
compensation, stronger occupational, health and safety laws, it has been unions and
the labour movement out front pushing for progressive change. Our efforts have made
our province a better place to live and work and raise a family.
For the most part, the people of our province have seen unions as the path to
prosperity. It’s also part of our culture of supporting the collective, of caring and sharing.
It is because we have a history of militancy, of fightback and resistance. However our
unionization rate has not been growing.
In 2005, 11 Nobel Peace Prize recipients, including Polish Labour Leader Lech
Walesa and Reverend Desmond Tutu recognized the importance of workers’ rights, the
Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour Page 46