'We will fight this': N.B. unions protest Bill 23 outside Labour Minister, MLA offices

Members of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, its affiliate unions, and Unifor were seen protesting Bill 23 outside the office of Labour Minister Trevor Holder on Monday, as well as several other MLA offices across the province.

The bill enables government to employ non-unionized replacement workers, which often leads to longer, more frequent and contentious labour disputes.

In Moncton, about a dozen people were seen protesting outside MLA Ernie Steeves' office. Liberal MLA Rob McKee was a part of the group, saying he was there to show support to the unions.

Other groups were also planning protests Monday outside the offices of Progressive Conservative MLAs Arlene Dunn in Saint John and Jill Green in Fredericton.

"The labour movement will not sit quietly while Premier Blaine Higgs passes legislation that strips rights away from the hard-working people of this province," said Daniel Legere, the president of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, in a news release.

Public and private-sector unions have been outspoken about Bill 23, including asking for the opportunity for a consultation, according to Jennifer Murray, the director of Unifor Atlantic Regional.

"The Higgs government wrote and passed Bill 23 without any consultation from labour. As expert negotiators and labour representatives, we are concerned this government does not understand the impacts this bill will have on labour relations in the province," said Murray.

"We will fight this and all anti-worker legislation."

The New Brunswick Federation of Labour is the central voice of organized labour in the province. It is made up of 19 affiliated unions, 336 locals and six district labour councils representing more than 40,000 workers across the province.

Unifor – Canada's largest union in the private sector – represents 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy.