Workers at the Port of Montreal were called back to work this weekend after federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon ordered an end to their strike, and the employers’ lockout, pushing that dispute to binding arbitration.
Barry Eidlin, associate professor of sociology at McGill, says it’s easier than ever for the government to push workers off the picket line. Thanks to a new interpretation of a little used part of the labour code, the government can impose a back-to-work order without needing parliament’s approval.
Now, with all eyes on the strike at Canada Post, Eidlin says the minister has a duty to protect the collective bargaining process – but that another back-to-work order is not out of the question.
