John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities: Statement to the Legislative Assembly


Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, 2008

June 10, 2008

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Thank you.

Speaker, I am pleased today to be introducing some very important legislation for Ontario's college system.

The proposed Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, 2008 represents a significant revision of the collective bargaining regime in this sector.

It would represent important changes for colleges and workers and bring more ownership over the collective bargaining process to the workplace parties.

It would, our government believes, lead to a strengthened and more stable college system, better able to focus on the needs of students.

Better able to deliver the high-quality education the people of Ontario need.

Speaker, this proposed legislation would mark the first significant overhaul of collective bargaining in colleges since current processes were established in 1975.

I am very happy to say that our Bill, if passed by this Legislature, would give part-time and sessional college workers the right to bargain collectively for the first time in Ontario.

This is a commitment our government made last August and one I am proud to see included in our proposed legislation.

Our government believes that this is the appropriate thing to do.

And we wanted to ensure that it was done right.

We believe that this Bill would establish a new era in labour relations in Ontario colleges by ensuring a more stable, effective process for negotiations covering both full-time and part-time college workers.

An era where the workplace parties have greater ownership of the process.

That is why our government took the time to ensure proper consultations were held with all parties in our college system.

And that is why we appointed Ontario Labour Relations Board Chair Kevin Whitaker to conduct a thorough review of collective bargaining in our colleges.

Mr. Whitaker is with us here today. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Whitaker for his hard work.

After receiving written and oral submissions from all parties involved in the college system, Mr. Whitaker produced a report this past February 1.

He provided me with comprehensive recommendations relating to collective bargaining in our colleges.

One of those recommendations was, of course, to extend collective bargaining rights to part-time college workers.

But the report went further, to describe how this should be done to ensure the interests of all parties are balanced and that changes ultimately benefit students through a stronger, more stable college system.

This would be accomplished, if this legislation passes, by allowing for the establishment of two new bargaining units for part-time college workers – one for part-time and sessional faculty, and another for part-time support staff.

Bargaining unit members would then be free to pursue the certification process.

But Speaker, this Bill would make some other important changes to how collective bargaining takes place in our college system.

Changes that our government believes would make collective bargaining in colleges more effective by bringing it more in-line with accepted collective bargaining principles that work well in most other unionized workplaces in Ontario.

By making the collective bargaining process work better, we believe we would be strengthening the college system in general, to the benefit of all parties – especially students.

Changes to the bargaining process would encourage more stable, predictable labour relations so that all parties could continue to focus on providing the best education possible for students in a productive learning environment.

That is what we must focus on when considering this legislation – our students.

We must ensure the proper balance between ensuring an effective collective bargaining process for college workers, and ensuring the best possible learning experience for our students.

Speaker, our government believes that our proposed legislation would offer this balance.

Some of the proposed changes include:

  • Creating a new employer bargaining agent to represent all colleges in collective bargaining. This would replace the current government-appointed agency that acts on behalf of the employer during negotiations involving full-time workers.
  • Providing roles for the Ontario Labour Relations Board and the Minister of Labour consistent with their roles under the Labour Relations Act.
  • Streamlining the timelines for collective bargaining to encourage more proactive engagement by the bargaining parties.
  • Allowing for the appointment of a conciliator to work with the workplace parties, at their request, eliminating the current fact-finding exercise, which is more cumbersome.

Essentially, we are proposing that collective bargaining processes in colleges, for both full-time and part-time staff, be made more consistent with the Ontario Labour Relations Act, while still recognizing the unique working environment in colleges.

This is an approach that would give workplace parties more responsibility for the outcome of collective bargaining.

It would streamline processes, bringing in the best of what works in other workplaces while still providing a separate framework that addresses the needs of the college sector.

Speaker, we believe that this approach is the best for colleges.

We believe it would address the needs of workplace parties while still keeping the needs of students front and centre.

Our government remains committed to building Ontario into a true knowledge-based economy.

Our $6.2-billion investment by 2010 through our Reaching Higher Plan is already helping people across this province work toward their dreams and build a strong future for themselves.

By investing in our people, investing in our students, we are all building an Ontario strongly positioned to excel in the global economy.

Ontario's strength is in our ingenuity and in our drive to succeed.

Speaker, this legislation, if passed, would strengthen our college system not only by enhancing the quality of education, but by providing the framework for stronger labour relations.

It would ensure a strong learning environment for our students.

And it would help turn Ontario into a true knowledge economy, able to compete globally.

Speaker, our government believes in the people of Ontario.

We believe that by giving college workplace parties the proper tools to negotiate collective agreements, we are helping to build a better learning environment for Ontario students.

Thank you.

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