After more than two weeks on the picket line, Bank of Canada security workers have secured a major victory. The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has ruled that the Bank of Canada violated the Canada Labour Code by using scabs during the ongoing strike.
The Board found that the Bank unlawfully used contracted Garda security workers to perform the duties of striking members. The Bank has been ordered to stop using scabs within 48 hours of receiving the decision.
The ruling is one of the first significant applications of Canada’s federal anti-scab legislation and sends a clear message that employers cannot undermine workers’ legal right to strike by bringing in replacement workers.
The 49 Bank of Canada security workers represented by PSAC Local 71250 in Ottawa and Montreal have been on strike since June 23 after negotiations reached an impasse.
A victory earned on the picket line
This decision is a significant victory for Bank of Canada security workers who have spent more than two weeks standing together to defend the rights and protections they’ve fought hard to achieve.
“Our members are proud of this decision. They refused to back down, and today their determination has paid off,” said Ruth Lau MacDonald, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for the National Capital Region. “The Board’s ruling sends a powerful message: employers cannot undermine a legal strike by using replacement workers. Now it’s time for the Bank to return to the bargaining table, withdraw its concessionary proposals, and negotiate a fair collective agreement.”
While this ruling is an important milestone, the strike continues.
The Bank of Canada is still seeking concessionary changes that would force members to choose between maintaining their existing maternity leave salary top-ups or gaining compassionate care leave salary top-ups already available to other Bank employees. The employer is also seeking to weaken existing language governing hours of work and overtime for security officers in Ottawa. In Montreal, members are seeking to be compensated for additional duties that they perform on a regular basis.
Our members remain united in defending the rights and protections they have fought hard to secure, and they will stay on the picket line until a fair collective agreement is reached.
How you can help
Today’s ruling is a major victory, but the fight for a fair collective agreement continues.
Join Bank of Canada security workers on the picket line to show your solidarity. The picket line is located outside Bank of Canada headquarters at the corner of Kent Street and Sparks Street in Ottawa. Members are on the line Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to noon.
Can’t make it to the picket line? You can still make a difference by sending a letter to the Bank of Canada’s Board of Directors urging the employer to return to the bargaining table, withdraw its concessionary proposals, and negotiate a fair collective agreement.
Every visit to the picket line, every letter sent, and every message of support helps strengthen our members’ fight for a fair collective agreement.