Annual Brief to Cabinet

At the head of the table for the MFL Brief to the Cabinet were (from left) Nancy Allan, Minister of Labour, Manitoba Premier Gary Doer, and MFL President Darlene Dziewit.

The major part of the MFL's Annual Brief to Cabinet, presented on December 9, 2005, dealt with two issues now under active review by the government - the Employment Standards Code and the expansion of Workers Compensation coverage. MFL recommendations include an increase in proactive workplace inspections of employment records throughout the province, with investigations triggered by anonymous and third-party complaints allowed. To accommodate this, there will need to be more resources dedicated to increasing the number of Employment Standards Officers and Inspectors.

The brief also states that the threshold for automatic certification of a union in a workplace is far too high at 65 per cent. The wishes of a majority of the employees, 50 per cent plus one, should be the test that must be met. Another recommendation is that the government amend the Manitoba Labour Relations Act to outlaw the use of strike-breakers during a work stoppage to end violence and disguised union busting.

The brief urges the Province to continue using Project Labour Agreements, similar to that for the Winnipeg Floodway expansion, for publicly funded projects and to promote their use within the private sector.

For those who want more details, the full Brief is available on this website. Download or view the Brief in PDF format (141 kb).