Education Workers’ Strike and Bill 124: Labour Relations Disputes in Ontario

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Introduction
Over the years, there have been instances where the government and unscrupulous employers exploited employees. However, despite raising their issues, there were instances when the employers were not ready to implement them, and the government was unwilling to help them. Moreover, there were instances when the government made unfavorable employee laws. These instances prompted the employees to form unions since it would improve their power to fight for their rights. One of the unions the workers formed in Canada was the Canadian Union of Public Employees to fight for workers' rights. The government introduction of Bill 124 would limit the Union's bargaining power for change of its employees. Since the government was not ready to implement these changes, the Union decided to have Education Worker’s Strike to force the government to remove these laws. The following strike helped the unionized and nonunionized workers since the laws were removed, and they could easily bargain for the changes they wanted.
Background
Bill 124
On June 5, 2019, the Ontario legislature introduced Bill 124, which was in force on November 8, 2021. The bill aimed to limit compensation growth in the public and broader public sectors. Moreover, the Act applied to not-for-profit organizations, which received $1 million from Ontario government during the 2018-2019 fiscal period (PooranLaw, 2021). Besides, the bill was in force for both Union and nonunion workers. Unfortunately, the coalition of the public region unions has recently criticized the legislation, which took the Ford government to court after asserting that the bill was ineffective. For instance, they declared that the bill led to a crisis in public-sector staffing, especially among nurses. The legislation contributed to a massive effect on the Ontario Province's ability to retain and hire nurses. After three years of Covid 19 pandemic, the impact on the healthcare system has deteriorated massively and on people who require access to care that their members provide.
Members argued that Bill 124 led to a massive financial impact because it prevented the workers from putting issues on the table for discussion and deteriorated the Union's capability to bargain. Furthermore, it was argued that the Act affected the relationship between unions and their members by introducing arbitrary terms on members. These terms led members to ask about the need for collective bargaining if they could get more outside of the process rather than being inside it. The legislation was also assumed to affect the Union's ability to address issues with staffing that directly impacted the working conditions of existing workers, especially in the healthcare setting.
Bill 124 was enacted for numerous employers, workers, and unions in the wider provincial public region. These sectors included Crown agencies, universities, school boards, public hospitals, colleges, and non-profit long-term care homes. The legislation developed a 3-year moderation time and introduced a general limit on salary upsurges by 1% per annum (“Managing Pandemics And Conscripting C...