The Alberta government’s recent use of a rarely used measure to intervene in labour disputes is a sign of what’s to come, says a labour policy professor.
Over 3,000 educational support staff with the Edmonton Public School Board were set to strike Thursday. But on Tuesday, at the division’s request, the province mandated the union and division work with a dispute inquiry board.
This development means workers won’t be able to strike for at least 30 days.
Athabasca University professor Jason Foster, who specializes in labour history and policy, said the intervention amounts to little more than a strike delay while showing a concerning level of government intervention in the bargaining process.
Similar to a mediator, a dispute inquiry board is a neutral third party that aims to work with both sides of a labour dispute to come to an agreement when one can’t be reached through bargaining.
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“The inquiry board is going to do nothing more than what a mediator …