Manitoba government’s wrong turn

YVETTE MILNER

THE current government is going the wrong way on public tendering and other labour laws.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has made a promise to increase unionization in Manitoba and is following up with the labour policies that are currently being implemented.

The labour laws that are being introduced do not favour a competitive workforce in the construction industry. The repeal of Bill 7, the public sector construction projects tendering repeal act, the repeal of mandatory secret ballot vote for unionization and the changes to ratios for journeymen to apprentices will move Manitoba backwards, not forward.

Merit Contractors Association and our members believe in a business environment where construction contracts are awarded based on corporate merit. Seventy per cent of tradespeople work in open shops where belonging to a union is not a condition of employment. Unfortunately, in Manitoba, the repeal of Bill 7 will result in companies being discouraged from bidding on provincially funded projects.

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