January 7, 2011 - Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

Protecting the Labour Rights of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in a Globalized World
right to join a union and the role unions play in creating a better society by taking out
advertisements in major U.S. Newspapers:
“Protecting the right to a form union…is vital to promoting broadly shared
economic prosperity, social justice and strong democracies.” 14
Labour laws and labour legislation should be about fairness, equity, balance and
advancing the social and economic well being of its citizens. In Newfoundland and
Labrador, there is much work to be done before our labour laws achieve those goals.
The time has come to right the imbalance. This Inquiry has an incredible
opportunity to make a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of working people in
our province.
We urge this Inquiry to be bold and consider how changes in our province’s
labour legislation can ensure a more level playing field for the workers of Voisey’s Bay
and for all those workers who still seek a union to represent them.
Workers need access to an alternative dispute-setting mechanism in prolonged
labour disputes. Rather than having to use the legislature to impose collective
agreements in long disputes - although we sadly recognize that in this extraordinary
circumstance may be necessary - the Federation advocates an alternative.
There should be an ability for either side (rather than only by agreement by both
parties) to send unresolved matters to binding arbitration after a period of time on strike
and after both sides have bargained in good faith, but failed to reach a settlement.
Binding arbitration in the private sector will unlikely result in substantial gains for
working people, but it will at least help prevent long disputes and may “encourage” a
multinational corporation the size of Vale to actually bargain with its employees, rather
than “starve them out” on a picket line.
As a labour movement we are extremely concerned about the growing use of
scab/replacement labour by large multinational employers in our province.
14 Accessed from: http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/upload/d10_washpost.pdf
Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour Page 47