In wealthy countries like Canada, it’s hard to understand the true motivations behind strike actions. When Canadians compare what they’ve got as far as jobs and wages go, observers might wonder what the genuine provocations behind a strike in a country with so many pluses could possibly mean.
In the developing world, the wages are a pittance, worker’s safety regulations are frequently non-existent and the choices of available jobs are often meagre pickings. Careers in the developing world are often reserved for the society’s elite.
Union members and leaders will argue the purpose of launching strike actions is to maintain the integrity of job sites and the workers in the companies they are representing. Moreover, unionists also say their job actions in the past and present have been positive for Canadians. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) said historians had recognized unions as being accountable for raising the standards of Canada’s middle class and uplifting the country’s prosperity. “By helping more workers make decent wages with more job security, unions are largely responsible for stabilizing the economy and stimulating its growth.”
But in Canada, there have been times when strikes turned ugly beyond reason and have angered people on all sides of the political spectrum. The Halifax Police Department strike in 1981 is a job action many Canadians would like to forget. The walkout of almost 200 constables resulted in a scene of violent looting and violence on Gottingen Street near the city’s police station.
Until 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada opposed the right to strike. But the court reversed their stance on labour unrest in a case known as the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour verses Saskatchewan. In December 2007, Saskatchewan’s government introduced the Public Service Essential Services Act (PSESA) and the Trade Union Amendment act, which became law in May, 2008. The PSESA ruling limited the ability of public sector employees who performed essential services to participate in strikes. The Trade Union Amendment Act tweaked the process of union certification by increasing the levels of written support, reducing the period of written backing from employees and changing the conditions of communications between employees and management.
Yet, the Supreme Court of Canada took an entirely different perspective on workers’ rights than the Saskatchewan government. “The right to strike also promotes equality in the bargaining process. This Court has long recognized the deep inequalities that structure the relationship between employers and employees and the vulnerability of employees in this context,” went the Supreme Court’s justification for readdressing the law.
But although the Supreme Court had correctly sought to protect the rights of workers, this doesn’t mean all strike actions are reasonable, acceptable or even justifiable. It’s always beneficial for onlookers to understand the opposing views during a strike before weighing the balances. Recently, residents in Weyburn had their patience tested by locked-out Unifor workers, who fenced-off the entry to the Prairie Sky Co-op’s Crossroads site on Monday, January 13. The strikers allowed people to leave the locked-off area, but customers weren’t allowed inside. The strikers erected a fence around the property, cutting off the Main Track restaurant, a convenience store, the gas bar and admittance to the cardlock area for truck drivers. This demonstration eased later in the afternoon, according to Greg Nikkel of the Weyburn Review.
The union said Federated Co-operatives Limited wanted to institute a 50 per cent cut to pension plans for 800 refinery employees. On paper, the plan to slash pensions was a mistake on Co-op’s part. However, there’s room on labour’s side for ample criticism, as the strike had introduced several inconveniences, such as the job action in Weyburn. Also, Unifor had been guilty for acting in bad faith in other instances during this hostile battle between labour and management. In the New Year, Unifor members were accused of sabotaging trucks leaving and entering the Co-op Refinery in Regina. Last week, the union apologized for wrongly classifying Regina business owner Kalpesh Patel as a scab in a video titled Meet the Scabs.
The preferred outcome of the refinery strike should result in a decision capable of pleasing Unifor members and Co-op management alike. Hopefully, a solution to end this brutal war between management and labour must appear soon, because many in Saskatchewan are disenchanted about this ongoing and economically destructive quarrel.
