Temporary help agency employment (THAE) is a peculiar and often precarious employment form that has become increasingly salient in Canada in recent decades. Seeking to advance both the literatures on precarious work and union renewal, this article examines the effects of the expansion of this unique employment form upon labour unions, and union responses to this phenomenon.The study employed a qualitative exploratory method, involving twenty-four interviews with key informants from fourteen large labour unions, two union federations, and the Toronto-based workers’ centre known as the “Workers’ Action Centre.” Various effects of the expansion of THAE on unions were identified and categorized as relating to either union organizing or representation activities, and a range of union responses to the phenomenon are also discussed.Overall, it is suggested that THAE growth carries the potential to constrain organizing and representation activities in multiple ways, although its effects are highly mediated by other contextual factors. Union responses have thus far been largely limited to incremental adjustments aimed at shoring up traditional organizing and collective bargaining practices.L’emploi temporaire via des agences de placement est une forme d’emploi singulière et souvent précaire qui est devenue de plus en plus répandue au Canada au cours des dernières décennies. Dans le but de faire progresser les écrits sur l’emploi précaire et le renouveau syndical, cet article étudie les effets de la croissance de cette forme unique d’emploi sur les syndicats et les réponses de ces derniers à ce phénomène.L’étude a recours à une méthodologie exploratoire qualitative comprenant vingt-quatre entrevues avec des informateurs-clés en provenance de quatorze grands syndicats ainsi que deux fédérations syndicales et un centre de travailleurs basé à Toronto (Workers’ Action Centre). Divers effets de la croissance du travail temporaire sur les syndicats sont identifiés et catégorisés selon qu’ils concernent les activités d’organisation syndicale ou les activités de représentation syndicale et un éventail de réponses syndicales au phénomène sont discutées.Globalement, il est suggéré que la croissance du travail temporaire présente un potentiel réel pour contraindre les activités d’organisation et de représentation syndicales de multiples façons, bien que ses effets soient hautement médiatisés par d’autres facteurs contextuels. Aussi, à ce jour, la réponse des syndicats s’est largement limitée à des ajustements progressifs visant à renforcer les pratiques traditionnelles de représentation et de négociation collective.El empleo de agencia de ayuda temporal (EAAT) es una forma de empleo peculiar y a menudo precario que se ha vuelto cada vez más importante en Canadá en las últimas décadas. Tratando de contribuir a los estudios sobre...
Workers' participation in the management of their work lives is widely regarded as vital to the success of contemporary organizations. One form of nonunion employee representation, widely acclaimed in Europe and rare but receiving increasing attention in North America, is the workers' council. The authors provide a review of the experience, role, structure, and functions of workers' councils in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, a country that undertook one of the most comprehensive programs of worker self-management, including the widespread and legally mandated use of workers' councils. The authors then discuss key issues and concerns about workers' councils.
This paper examines the effect of labour law on union certification dynamics in Ontario during the period 1983 to 2006. Results reveal the independent, significant effects of the Progressive Conservative government's Bill 31 reforms and the recent Liberal government's Bill 144 upon certification success rates and aggregate volumes of new organizing, in expected directions. Results also reveal a massive decline in unfair labour practice complaints following the Bill 7 reforms in 1995, exacerbated by Bill 31, and which remains unaltered by Bill 144. Overall, the results suggest that labour law still has a significant effect upon union organizing over time, despite economic internationalization and/or shifts in industrial structure, and contradict the recent claim that a “pre-1990 equilibrium” in Ontario labour relations policy was recently restored. Rather, the current regime remains, both in formal legal terms and concrete effects, more restrictive of union growth than its pre-1990 form.
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