Workers’ bargaining power must be protected if we are to make gains at the bargaining table.
Scabs undermine the rights of working people to withdraw our labour. Saskatchewan must join the other Canadian jurisdictions and ban the deployment of replacement workers during labour disputes.
The Co-op refinery lockout of Unifor Local 594 members for more than 200 days in 2019-20 was made worse by the company’s aggressive use of scab labour. While local Regina workers and their families struggled to make ends meet for more than six months, Co-op was able to fly in scabs from out-of-province at their whim to starve workers into taking concessions.
Evidence from Canada and around the world shows that the hiring of scabs weakens the collective power of workers; unnecessarily prolongs labour disputes; contributes to higher-conflict picket lines; jeopardizes workplace safety; de-stabilizes normalized labour relations between workers and their employers; and removes the employer’s incentive to negotiate and settle fair contracts.
The next Saskatchewan government must enact anti-scab legislation, without delay. This legislation should ensure all forms of bargaining unit work cannot be performed during a legal strike or lockout, except where maintenance of activities (MOA) agreements are required, to prevent an immediate and serious threat to the health and safety of the public.
Legislation must also include significant financial penalties for employers who defy the law.
