Advertisement

New Brunswick unions denounce municipalities’ bid for ‘Ability to Pay’ legislation

Click to play video: 'New Brunswick unions denounce municipalities’ bid for ‘Ability to Pay’ legislation'
New Brunswick unions denounce municipalities’ bid for ‘Ability to Pay’ legislation
WATCH: Roughly 2,500 governments workers across New Brunswick are banding together in an attempt to push back against the municipalities they work for. As Morganne Campbell reports, it all comes down to “ability to pay” legislation – Jun 21, 2019

They respond in times of need, make sure the roads and sidewalks are clear and process your tax bills and payments.

They are government workers and all 2,500 of them across New Brunswick are banding together.

They’re attempting to push back against the municipalities they work for who are lobbying for “Ability to Pay” legislation in the province, which would limit the freedom of an arbitrator.

“If we lose that, there’s no more free negotiations,” explains Marc Dioron, the president of the New Brunswick Municipal Workers Committee.

“It’s like, ‘this is it this is what we give you, and this is what you have to take,’ because we won’t have binding arbitration.”

Story continues below advertisement

Currently, all contracts are settled through binding arbitration, which eliminates workers’ ability to strike and doesn’t allow the employer the ability to lock out workers.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“The fact that they want to put restrictions on arbitration just gives an upper hand to the employer as opposed to the employees,” adds Kevin Smallwood, a financial officer with the committee.

WATCH: (March 29, 2019) N.B. premier commits to entering binding arbitration with nursing home workers

Click to play video: 'N.B. premier commits to entering binding arbitration with nursing home workers'
N.B. premier commits to entering binding arbitration with nursing home workers

But the Cities of New Brunswick Association, which represents eight cities in the province and is headed up by municipal leaders, is looking to change that process and is calling for a review of the provincial arbitration legislation.

“We 100 per cent support an arbitration process, so what we’re really just asking for is a conversation about the ability to pay — to be in some way incorporated into the process,” explains Adam Lordon, the president of the Cities of New Brunswick Association.

Story continues below advertisement

In addition to a wider look at the arbitration process, the association is looking to government to reform the property tax system and address just how tax dollars are distributed.

“What we’ve seen over the years is more and more downloading of service delivery from other levels of government without funds to execute those services, and so we are in a broad sense continuing to call for a number of municipal reforms,” adds Lordon.

Sponsored content

AdChoices