Vancouver Rally Marks Second Anniversary of Ledcor Workers Strike
Militant Denunciation of Company and Government Violation of Workers' Rights
Since September 2019 members of IBEW 213 have steadfastly maintained
picket lines at the Ledcor Technical Services (LTS) office in Port
Moody and the company's head office in Vancouver. As the workers enter
the 25th month of their strike, a militant rally was held at the LTS
head office in support of their just demands and to
denounce Ledcor and the federal government for obstinately refusing to
settle a first contract for these workers. Speaker after speaker pledged their support for the workers’ just demands.
The workers joined IBEW 213 in 2017 and attempted to negotiate a
contract with the company for two years to improve their wages and
working conditions and put an end to LTS subcontracting their work. On
September 30, 2019 they went on strike after the company laid off 31
workers without cause or notice. They have maintained picket
lines at the LTS headquarters in Vancouver and at their workplace, now
in Port Moody, ever since.
 The
workers' main work is the installation of fibre-optic cable. Telus and
other major communications companies, besides employing their own
workers, contract with companies like LTS which pays its technicians on
a piece work basis which means they earn far less and have inferior
benefits to Telus employees doing the same work. LTS in
turn subcontracts work to other companies. The telecommunications
monopolies use this method of subcontracting work to companies like LTS
as a means of eliminating the permanent workforce and to turn all
technicians into individual "independent contractors" without
protection under the Canada Labour Code (federal) or provincial
legislation,
in BC the Employment Standards Act.
The rally on October 1 was organized with the support of the BC
Federation of Labour, the Vancouver and District Labour Council, the
New Westminster and District Labour Council and numerous unions
including the Building Trades Unions, United Steelworkers, the
International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the Canadian Union of
Public Employees and Unite Here Local 40. Speakers denounced the
company for its treatment of the workers and the federal labour law
that permits companies to use scab labour, as well as the Canada
Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) for the delays in addressing numerous
complaints filed by the union in 2019, not issuing its ruling until
July
26, 2021.
Robin Nedila, IBEW 213 representative for the LTS workers, reports
that "the CIRB found that LTS violated the Canada Labour Code by
refusing to recognize IBEW 213 as the bargaining agent for all
employees of the certification," a decision which "caused irreparable
harm to the IBEW 213's bargaining potential." He explained that workers
in one department were deliberately and strategically lied to by
the company, told that they were not members of the union. The union's
other complaints were dismissed.
In December 2019 the union applied to the Canada Labour Board to
intervene and settle the terms and conditions of a first collective
agreement as specified in section 80 (1)-(4) of the Canada Labour Code
which allows the board to "inquire into the dispute and, if the board
considers it advisable, to settle the terms and conditions of the first
collective agreement between the parties." The Board deferred a
decision on this application to after the decision of the CIRB on the
union's unfair labour practices complaints.
The LTS workers have had broad support from workers and unions and
the public throughout the strike. Those at the rally pledged their
ongoing support, both financial and on the picket lines.
This article was published in
October 8, 2021 - No. 93
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/WF2021/Articles/WO08931.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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