MONTREAL - Quebec Labour Minister Lise Thériault says she's not worried about a threat issued by Quebec unions to create a labour shortage in the construction industry as a reprisal to Bill 33.
In spite of the objections of the FTQ construction union and the Quebec provincial council of construction trades, (often known as l'Internationale) the law put an end to the union placement and replaced that system with a new mechanism administered by the Quebec Construction Commission (CCQ).
Quebec also seeks to reduce the risks of intimidation and collusion which undermine the working atmosphere in construction sites. A transition committee will be launched by the end of the year.
Unions like the FTQ and l'international oppose the move. The FTQ even threatened to create worker shortages in Quebec by sending them to work in other provinces."
But the CSN is one union who supports the move.
"It's a practice that infringes on the rights of workers. It creates discrimination and intimidation. So we are very satisfied with this new law," said CSN union rep Aldo Miguel Paoline
Labour Minister Lise Therriault called it a historical day for workers as the law gives them the right to choose which union they want to join and where they want to work.
The Quebec Construction Commission will now assign workers based on demands from employers.
With a file from The Canadian Press
