Legislature votes to repeal Bill 45, Redford Government’s anti-union law

Alberta’s Legislature today unanimously passed a bill repealing the Redford Government’s restrictive and unconstitutional anti-union law.

Bill 45, which became the Public Sector Services Continuation Act, was passed by the Legislature in December 2013, although it was never proclaimed into law by the government.

The 2013 act, which banned illegal strikes by publicly paid employees and provided for disproportionately heavy penalties for unions, their members and members of the public who even advocated illegal strikes, was being challenged in the courts by United Nurses of Alberta, which called it a violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

On March 19 at a meeting with the leaders of Alberta’s public sector unions, Premier Jim Prentice announced his government would repeal the act as quickly as possible as part of an effort to “reset the table” with the unions.

Prentice’s government quickly introduced Bill 24, the Public Sector Services Continuation Repeal Act, which received the final approval it requires to become law and formally repeal the Redford Government’s act in the Legislature this afternoon.

UNA Labour Relations Director David Harrigan, who was in the Legislature to watch passage of the bill, said afterward the union is very pleased by the government’s decision to repeal the bill, which he credited to UNA’s legal challenge as well as the recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada that blanket bans on strikes by public employees are not constitutional.

“If it wasn’t for the commitment of UNA’s members to stand up for their workplace rights, I don’t believe the government would have backed down on this very unfair piece of legislation,” he said.

Bill 24 must receive Royal Assent from the lieutenant governor and then be proclaimed by the government, both expected to be formalities that will take place in the next few days.