Two-thirds of British Columbians recently surveyed don’t think policies governing labour in B.C. need to be changed, according to an Innovative Research survey commissioned by the Coalition of BC Businesses.
The coalition, which represents businesses in 13 economic sectors, commissioned a 600-person survey in response to proposed changes to labour laws in the NDP’s election platform.
“The vast majority of British Columbians do not believe there is a need for changes to current labour and employment policies,” said coalition chairman Mark von Schellwitz.
“This is a clear indication that the NDP’s labour platform is out of sync with the wishes of average British Columbians. Many of the labour policies outlined in the NDP platform are impractical and unnecessary.”
The coalition is more concerned about what’s not in the NDP platform than what is. The coalition met with the NDP labour critic a few months ago and asked if the NDP planned to go back to a card-based certification process.
Currently, unions are certified after a secret ballot vote, after both the organizing union and the employer has had a chance to explain the pros and cons of forming a union. The coalition fears the NDP plans to revert to a card-based system, in which organizers can get a shop unionized simply by signing up a majority of employees.
The coalition met with NDP labour critic a few months ago and asked if an NDP government would scrap the secret ballot system.
“He said the NDP would make their position known on that, certainly before an election, and they’re not doing that,” von Schellwitz told Business in Vancouver.
The NDP is now promising to look at that question after the election. It is just one of several key policy decisions the NDP says it will only decide after they have been elected.
“The question that Mr. Dix and the NDP have to answer during the election is where exactly they stand on a secret ballot vote for union certification?” von Schellwitz said.
Jim Sinclair, president of the BC Federation of Labour, said his organization support’s the NDP’s plan, which is to convene a special panel to consult with employers and employees on the issue before deciding whether or not to change the way unions are certified.
The organization wants to see the current secret ballot system scrapped.
“What we want is our chance to make the case that the system’s broken and that people are afraid to join unions because of employer interference,” Sinclair told BIV.
