OTTAWA (CU)_Like in many countries across the globe, manufacturers in Canada have been struggling to compete with cheap imports which threaten domestic industries. Although workers have been appearing before tribunals which hear allegations about the dumping of goods, the rulings have been largely based on the industry impact. However, since last year, the federal government has been looking to update its trade dispute rules so that they give workers greater participation in the process.
In a major step in improving the country’s trade laws, the federal government has decided to allow labour groups to launch trade challenges even without an employer joining the cause. The federal budget, which was released earlier this month, promised legislative changes that would allow workers to file trade complaints in a situation where a country is unfairly dumping underpriced goods, or those that circumvent import duties, into the Canadian market.
The decision follows a push by the United Steelworkers union for five years for Ottawa to follow the United States and several other countries in ensuring greater participation of workers in resolving trade disputes. The group says this small change would have a large impact on local industries, with assistant to the Steelworkers’ national director, Meg Gingrich, pointing out that the decision would also mean dispute panels will look at the impact on workers when adjudicating any dispute, beyond the question of if there would be layoffs. They would be compelled to look at a range of other matters, from firms failing to keep up with pension payments to pushing for bargaining concessions when cheap goods are eating into revenues, she noted. “We didn’t have that before. We’ll have to see what the details actually are, but it’s looking promising in terms of what we’ll be able to see with these reforms,” Gingrich, whose union represents about 225,000 workers in Canada, said.
Experts further note that adopting the changes would not only have the voices of workers heard in dispute hearings, but also assist businesses by bolstering industry arguments.
