COVID-19 concessions coming to a head for unions, management, retired labour lawyer says

A second conciliation meeting between the Nova Scotia Union of Public and Private Employees and the Halifax Public Libraries ended Sunday without a deal.

“It was definitely not what we wanted at the end of the day. We do not like that we are closed, we want to be open providing service to our community,” says library services advisor Dominique Nielsen.

Now 340 employees are on the picket line.

“We are just hoping to get the most collaboration, co-operation, and support from the members of the public. We know that we are very sad that the library is closed. We have seen some great support,” says Nielsen.

Many unions have gone to the streets lately. Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Kansas City locked out workers last week, grinding cargo shipments to a halt. WestJet mechanics went on strike for two days over the Canada Day long weekend. Air Canada pilots just voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike mandate that could come into effect on Sept. 17.

“The airlines and the railways are what I’m going to call, effectively, essential public services,” says retired labour lawyer Peter McLellan.

Striking library workers outside the Halifax Central Library on Aug. 27, 2024. (Source: Jonathan MacInnis/CTV News Atlantic)

That distinction means the Canada Labour Relations Act regulates them, allowing the government to impose binding arbitration on both sides to avoid a lengthy strike.

“The economy of a country may not be able to, cannot, withstand a prolonged work stoppage,” McLellan says.

According to McLellan, the recent unrest has roots dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic when workers and management made concessions to keep businesses afloat.

Striking library workers outside the Halifax Central Library on Aug. 27, 2024. (Source: Jonathan MacInnis/CTV News Atlantic)

“COVID prevailed on both sides to accept the status quo for a long period of time and now that we are post-COVID, they say, ‘We have made our sacrifice and it’s time for us to achieve what we missed in the last round or round of bargaining,’” says McLellan.

 “Since the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen a rise of lots of other community needs, and the library has stepped up to help fill some of the gaps in service left from general cost of living rising,” says Nielsen.