Union reform: Boulet believes he has the support of union members

Labor Minister Jean Boulet says he has the support of union members to clean up the internal management of unions.

His desire to introduce a bill to this effect has angered labor organizations, which are crying foul over what they see as interference.

On Sunday afternoon, a united front of unions will speak out to express their strong opposition to the government’s plans.

The confrontation stems from a speech by Premier François Legault, who, when presenting his new cabinet, mandated Boulet to “have the courage to modernize the union system.”

During a press scrum on Sunday morning on the sidelines of the CAQ convention in Gatineau, Boulet was asked by reporters if he thought he had the support of union members in this crusade.

“Absolutely,” he replied.

“We’re not doing this against the unions, we’re doing this for the union members,” he argued, referring to what he considers to be the excesses and abuses of certain union organizations.

He was then asked to explain how he measured this support.

“The abuses that were documented by the media sparked public outrage. (…) We did not measure the level of support among union members.”

Nevertheless, he had a fairly clear idea of what their grievances might be.

In particular, he referred to the “theft in Dubai,” i.e., the participation of FTQ President Magali Picard in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in that emirate in 2023.

But he also mentioned the expense allowances of certain union leaders, which caused quite a stir, with hefty bills from fancy restaurants for lavish meals.

“Union members must have access to information about how their dues are being used,” insisted the minister.

The government is also particularly opposed to the legal challenge to the secularism law brought by the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE), “without the approval of its members,” Boulet added.

“We are not prohibiting challenges to the law, but only after obtaining the opinion of the majority of members,” he clarified.

Finally, the government does not accept that strike votes should take place late at night, when members have already left the meeting, which has gone on into the night.

This situation arose during FAE union meetings, as part of negotiations for the renewal of public sector collective agreements.

“Workers must be able to express their views properly when votes have an impact on their lives,” argued the minister.

Last Thursday, he met with the leaders of the main union federations at a time when the climate was already tense.

A few days earlier, an internal document from Boulet’s ministry had mentioned the government’s desire to make part of union dues optional when unions want to use them to challenge a law, for example, or for purposes other than directly defending workers’ rights.

In this case, the government was again targeting the FAE and its challenge to the secularism law.

However, Boulet later assured union leaders that the document was a draft that did not reflect his intentions, according to reports.

However, the minister concluded on Sunday by reaffirming his firm commitment to cleaning up union practices.

“We are elected to represent the people, including the 1.8 million union members, and that is what concerns us. There are circumstances that require us to take action.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews