Effect given to the recommendations of the committee and the Governing Body - Report No 353, March 2009

Case No 2430 (Canada) - Complaint date: 07-JUN-05 - Closed

Effect given to the recommendations of the Committee and the Governing Body

1. 66. The Committee last examined this case, which concerns the provisions of a statute (Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, RSO 1990, c.15) that denies all public colleges part-time employees the right to join a union and engage in collective bargaining, at its June 2008 meeting [350th Report, approved by the Governing Body at its 302nd Session, paras 41–43]. On that occasion, the Committee noted with interest the Government’s announcement that it intended to amend the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act to extend collective bargaining rights to part-time academic and support staff workers at Ontario’s colleges of applied arts and technology, and it requested the Government to keep it informed of any progress made in the adoption of legislation on the issue.
2. 67. In a communication dated 15 August 2008, the Government indicates that on 30 August 2007, the Government of Ontario introduced a bill that, if passed, would extend collective bargaining rights to part-time academic and support staff workers at Ontario’s 24 colleges, replace the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act and give part-time and “sessional” college workers the right to bargain collectively for the first time in Ontario. The Government further states that the proposed legislation would amend bargaining processes at colleges making them more consistent with the Labour Relations Act which covers most other Ontario workplaces and at the same time fulfil the Government’s commitment to extend collective bargaining to part-time college workers. The Act to Enact the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act of 2008 is scheduled for Legislative Standing Committee hearings in September and after the report of the Committee back to the House, the bill would move to the third reading and, if passed, receive Royal Proclamation.
3. 68. The Committee takes note with interest of the Government’s announcement that the Government of Ontario introduced the Act to Enact the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act which would extend collective bargaining rights to part-time academic and support staff workers at Ontario’s 24 colleges. It invites the Government to keep it informed of progress made in the adoption of this bill and expresses the hope that it will report in the near future that part-time academic and support staff in colleges of applied arts and technology in Ontario fully enjoy the rights to organize and to bargain collectively.