Hundreds march in Edmonton to protest labour laws
Canadian Press
September 22, 2007 at 10:21 PM EDT
EDMONTON — Hundreds of angry and loud tradespeople have laid Alberta's labour code to rest in a dramatic mock funeral.
Protest organizer Eric Klyne led the funeral procession to the legislature Saturday, flanked by men dressed as the grim reaper and a priest.
The demonstration capped off two weeks of labour unrest that began following an Alberta Labour Relations Board ruling that forbid the carpenters union from going on strike.
The protesters aimed most of their anger at Employment Minister Iris Evans for enforcing labour laws they say are unconstitutional.
Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan says a recent Supreme Court ruling made collective bargaining a right.
Government spokeswoman Lorelei Fiset-Cassidy said the Supreme Court ruling is being studied to see if it has any implications in Alberta.
She said officials are aware of the concerns of the demonstrators and will look at the labour laws “to make sure they work for all Albertans, not just one group.”
“Alberta's labour laws don't facilitate collective bargaining, they discourage it,” said Mr. McGowan said. “It's not only wrong. It's now illegal.”
Mr. McGowan announced that the first challenge under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was filed by the Boilermakers Local 146 two days ago, calling the union “the first into the breech.”
“There's more challenges coming and we're going to win,” he added.
Mr. McGowan also stressed the importance of solidarity in the fight for labour reform, calling for an end to “petty bickering” among union members.
Alberta legislation passed two decades ago says that if 75 per cent of the province's two dozen building trade unions have settled their contracts, the others must follow suit without a strike or lockout, using an arbitrator if necessary.
Most of the trades have already settled, but the carpenters, roofers, and plumbers and pipefitters are holdouts.
Then, the provincial labour board filed a cease and desist order against wildcat strikes. Many frustrated workers defied the province and their own unions by staying off the job.
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