Labour Rights Under Attack
223 Restrictive labour laws
In the past three decades Canadians have seen a serious erosion of a fundamental and universal human right, their right to organize into a union and engage in full and free collective bargaining. Federal and provincial governments have passed numerous labour laws since 1982 that have restricted, suspended or denied collective bargaining rights for Canadian workers.
Restrictive labour law directory
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89 ILO Complaints
Since 1982, Canada's record with respect to the number of complaints submitted to the International Labour Law’s (ILO) Freedom of Association Committee is one of the worst of all of the ILO’s 183 member States with unions in Canada filing more complaints than the national labour movements of any other country.
ILO complaint directory
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Latest News
This month in labour rights history
Manitoba public sector employees were forced to take “Filmon Fridays” with the passage of the Public Sector Reduced Work Week and Compensation Management Act by the Conservative government of Gary more...
July 23, 1993
In Quotes
“The countries in which union density rates are higher are also the ones in which the welfare state is more developed, taxation levels higher and more progressive, collective bargaining more centralized and labour law both closer to international labour standards and better implemented.” more...
International Labour Organization, World of Work Report 2008: Income Inequalities in the Age of Financial Globalization,
Take Action
Draft a resolution
Draft and sponsor a resolution to your Federation of Labour or Labour Council condemning the use of labour laws that restrict or deny the fundamental rights of workers and proposing that progressive labour law reform be a central focus of labour’s political agenda.
Sign the Workers’ Bill of Rights
Since 2006, thousands, including all Federal Leaders of the Opposition, have signed a pledge to uphold workers rights.