Quebec’s collective agreement decrees not being abolished ‘for the moment,’ says labour minister

Despite rumors circulating about its possible abolition, the Collective Agreement Decrees Act is not in danger, at least “for the moment.”

Collective agreement decrees provide minimum working conditions for all workers in a given sector or region, whether they are unionized or not.

There are 15 decrees in Quebec covering 90,000 workers in sectors such as security guards, public building maintenance, road signage, and the automotive service industry. They are managed by joint committees.

Certain statements by Labour Minister Jean Boulet raised eyebrows among workers, who feared he was preparing to abolish the law. Last May, he stated that “there is an option to eliminate the Collective Agreement Decrees Act,” but that if this route were taken, it would be necessary to ensure that the pension plans and group insurance of the workers concerned were protected.

“We are concerned,” said Nicolas Lapierre, Quebec director of the United Steelworkers union, affiliated with the FTQ, in an interview.

“I find it hard to imagine that the government will go that far, but with this government, nothing is certain anymore,” said Lapierre. “We no longer have any benchmarks. This is a government that is seeking to attack the entire working class. With everything that is coming out, we are not immune to the abolition of decrees.”

When questioned on this subject, Minister Boulet’s office stated that “it is too early to make any decision and that there are no plans to repeal the law at this time.”

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has been campaigning since 2009 to have the law abolished, said François Vincent, CFIB vice-president for Quebec, in an interview.

For the CFIB, decrees are an outdated model “that creates a huge amount of paperwork.” As for their possible abolition, “I’ll believe it when I see it,” replied Vincent.

The United Steelworkers union, which represents approximately 15,000 workers covered by four decrees, points out that in some cases, this allows workers to earn $22 or $23 an hour instead of $17 or $18 an hour.

Abolishing the decrees would be tantamount to impoverishing 90,000 workers, argued Lapierre.

He explains that without these decrees, subcontractors submit very low bids in order to win a contract. Then, once they have obtained it, they reduce their workers’ wages in order to meet the amount of their bid.

Minister Boulet’s office is well aware of the positions on both sides. “We are continuing to document the situation and consult with the groups concerned to ensure that workers’ rights, particularly with regard to group insurance and pension plans, are fully protected.”

Stéphanie Corriveau, executive Director of the Joint Committee for Security Guards, defends the decree.

“Employers and unions are in favor of maintaining the security guard decree. It is a model that works very well and fulfills its mission of protecting responsible businesses from unfair competition and illegal employment,” she said in an interview.

She adds that the decree allows competition between companies in this sector to be based on the quality of service rather than on workers’ wages.

Corriveau points out that “we don’t cost the government anything. We are funded by industry contributions.” In her view, the message is clear: “Yes to modernizing (the decree), no to abolishing it.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews