News release

Act Will Prevent Unnecessary, Costly Strikes, Op-ed

Labour and Advanced Education (Jan. 2011 - Aug. 2021)

NOTE: The following is an op-ed piece from Labour and Advanced Education Minister Marilyn More.


Last week in the House of Assembly, I introduced first contract settlement legislation, An Act to Prevent Unnecessary Labour Disruptions and Protect the Economy.

Since then, and in the weeks leading up to its introduction, I've heard from many people who support the bill. I've also heard from people who have concerns about this legislation.

The intent of the bill is simple. It will prevent unnecessary, costly strikes that would hurt businesses, workers and the economy during first-contract collective bargaining.

It helps employers and unions deal with the difficult task of negotiating a first collective agreement. In the rare event the union and employer cannot reach a first agreement, the bill allows for a neutral third party to resolve the dispute, avoiding a prolonged lockout or strike.

Right now, 85 per cent of workers in Canada are covered by laws that provide a way for unions and employers to resolve first contracts.

Having a mechanism in place to deal with first-contract disputes will help protect Nova Scotia's jobs and productivity by avoiding damaging, prolonged strikes or lockouts.

The bill only applies to workplaces that are already unionized, and where there is no collective agreement in place. In the run of a year, there are very few of those in Nova Scotia.

The rate of unionization didn't go up in places after the legislation was introduced. In fact, unionization has been decreasing across Canada. And it has been stable in Nova Scotia for well over a decade.

A stable labour environment -- people at work, rather than on a picket line -- is a key ingredient of productivity.

Nova Scotia needs to compete with jurisdictions that use reasonable methods like first-contract settlement to promote good labour relations and continued productivity when workers do decide to unionize.

Based on the decades of experience with it in Canada, first-contract legislation is another ingredient of a stronger economy.

Almost every other province in Canada is already covered by first-contract legislation, including Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec.

First-contract settlement means workers keep getting paid and employers enjoy continued productivity. That's very attractive to people wanting to invest in, or expand, businesses in Nova Scotia.

We enjoy a harmonious labour environment. It's important to our future prosperity that this continue. Catching up with the rest of the country with first-contract settlement will prove to be another positive step in that direction.