Tag archives: collective bargaining

Le maintien de services essentiels en cas de grève : le passé n’est pas garant de l’avenir

Le contexte Auparavant, le gouvernement pouvait assujettir par décret un employeur et une association accréditée à l’obligation de maintenir des services essentiels en cas de grève lorsque celle-ci était susceptible de mettre en danger la santé ou la sécurité publique. Depuis les modifications apportées au Code du travail[1] (le Code) le 30 octobre 2019, la … Continue reading

Un Syndicat est tenu responsable de l’entièreté des dommages subis par ses membres visés par une clause jugée discriminatoire au sens de la Charte québécoise

Dans une décision rendue en mars 2023, dans le cadre d’un pourvoi en contrôle judiciaire[1], la Cour supérieure a condamné le syndicat à dédommager l’employeur pour l’entièreté des sommes que celui-ci a dû verser à ses salariés visés par une clause de la convention collective prévoyant une réduction du traitement salarial des retraités à partir … Continue reading

Pour modifier ou faire cesser une pratique passée, la dénonciation est sans effet :le texte en cause de la convention collective doit plutôt être renégocié

Une récente décision (la Décision) rendue par l’arbitre Me François Hamelin (l’Arbitre)[1] confirme qu’au Québec, la dénonciation d’une pratique passée (utilisée comme moyen d’interprétation d’une disposition ambiguë d’une convention collective) n’a aucun effet en l’absence d’une modification, par négociation, du texte en cause. À notre connaissance, il s’agit de la première décision qui le confirme de … Continue reading

9th Circuit Says NLRB Can Order Employer to Pay Union’s Legal Fees Incurred in Collective Bargaining

The National Labor Relations Act (Act) states that it is an unfair labor practice for an employer to refuse to bargain collectively with its employee representatives (i.e. a union). Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit confirmed that when this happens, an employer may have to reimburse its union the legal … Continue reading

Enforcement and bargaining power of trade unions

Trade unions should shape working life in a meaningful way through collective agreements ensuring good working relations. In order to be eligible for collective bargaining, they must have a minimum bargaining unit vis-à-vis the workplace, says the German Federal Constitutional Court. In Germany, the labour courts decide whether associations are eligible for collective bargaining and … Continue reading

You are not the boss of me…or ARE you?

On August 27, 2015 the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), in a high-impact, 3-2 decision along party lines, handed labor unions a significant advantage in their enforcement of collective bargaining laws by significantly modifying its longstanding “joint employer” standard. The ruling will surely leave countless businesses potentially liable for violations of labor laws committed by … Continue reading

Obligations of the employers in Colombia regarding collective consultation on redundancy

In Colombia, companies are not obliged to request authorization from the unions to carry out downsizing processes. However, it is advisable to review if the collective bargaining agreements entered into with the unions include any obligation in this regard. According to Colombian labor law, redundancy, economic reasons and the fact that a role is no … Continue reading

Bargaining in Bad Faith Finding Upheld by Supreme Court of Canada

A very recent Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) decision, Canadian Artists’ Representation v National Gallery of Canada, considered the parameters of the duty to bargain in good faith.  The Court found that a labour tribunal’s conclusions regarding bargaining in bad faith were reasonable, where a company took a “rigid stance” it knew would not be acceptable to … Continue reading

Strike ballots struck out of Labour Relations Amendment Bill

After surviving a three year consultation process and hefty deliberations in the National Economic Development and Labour Council, strike ballot provisions were voted out of the Labour Relations Amendment Bill by Parliament’s labour committee last week. The provisions, which were intended to amend the sections regulating workers’ right to strike in the Labour Relations Act … Continue reading
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