For Immediate Release
September 4, 2003
Labour Relations Board must remove itself
from Bill 27 says UNA
Board has lost its impartiality
United Nurses of Alberta wants the Alberta Labour Relations Board to nullify the Bill 27 restructuring of bargaining units in the province’s Health Regions because the Board appears to have participated with the provincial government in designing the process.
“The Labour Relations Board is supposed to be an impartial arbiter between Employers and Unions but in this case it appears that the Board was involved with the government and by extension Employers in setting up Bill 27,” says UNA President Heather Smith. “That calls into question their impartiality. The Board is supposed to be fairly administering Bill 27, while it appears that it effectively worked with the Employers to create it.”
“Clearly, the government brought in Bill 27 at the request of the Health Regions who wanted to gain advantages over their Employees,” says Heather Smith. “It was a ham-fisted plan that has created a chaotic mess in the health sector.”
“The fact that the Board Chair was recently reported to be meeting with the communications director from the government’s human resources department about this very issue should be evidence enough that the Board is not working at arm’s length from government,” Heather Smith notes. “Is this total arrogance that they don’t believe they even need to preserve the appearance of independence? Is the Board impartial or is it effectively a tool of Employers?”
UNA filed its formal application with the Board today for reconsideration of the Bill 27 decisions. This follows a similar application from the Canadian Energy and Paperworkers Union and is also based on the Board’s reply to a request for information on Bill 27 made by the AFL. The Board said it could not release information because it could reveal “…the contents of draft legislation, regulations and orders of members of the Executive Council…”.
UNA is asking that the Board’s Bill 27 decisions be nullified, that measures be taken to restore confidence in the Board’s independence, and that UNA be reimbursed for costs involved with Bill 27. The nurses’ union also sent a copy of the application to the provincial Attorney General as an interested party.
“The independence of the Board from Government is always a matter of utmost importance,” says Heather Smith.
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