{"id":839815,"date":"2026-08-01T06:21:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T06:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/839815\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T06:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T06:21:08","slug":"bank-of-canada-stands-by-use-of-replacement-workers-after-labour-board-rulings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/839815\/","title":{"rendered":"Bank of Canada stands by use of replacement workers after labour board rulings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem at a news conference in Ottawa, June 10. ‘Ahead of the CIRB\u2019s first ruling, the bank made representations regarding the minimum necessary arrangements to ensure the security of our facilities and people in light of the strike,’ he said.The Canadian Press\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

The head of the Bank of Canada is defending the central bank\u2019s use of replacement workers during a strike involving security officers.<\/p>\n

In a decision issued last week<\/a>, the Canada Industrial Relations Board said the Bank of Canada contravened the Canada Labour Code by using contractors from Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations during the strike.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, the board released a similar decision, saying the central bank had contravened the code by using contractors from Garda Canada Security Corporation and the services of union members.<\/p>\n

Tiff Macklem<\/a>, Governor of the Bank of Canada, said in a letter to the president of the Canadian Labour Congress Thursday that the bank has never refused to comply with the orders of the board.<\/p>\n

\u201cAhead of the CIRB\u2019s first ruling, the bank made representations regarding the minimum necessary arrangements to ensure the security of our facilities and people in light of the strike,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe board ruled, and the bank complied with that ruling within the prescribed time period by ceasing the arrangements and the use of the supplier it had in place.<\/p>\n

With one year left for Bank of Canada’s Tiff Macklem, it\u2019s still one battle after another<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe bank felt it necessary to put in place alternative arrangements that, in the bank\u2019s view, adhered to the Canada Labour Code and the previous CIRB ruling. The CIRB subsequently ruled a second time. The bank has also complied with that decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macklem said some exceptions to the rules allow for the use of replacement workers when necessary to prevent threats to life, health or safety, or to prevent serious damage to property.<\/p>\n

He said the bank believes the intent of the exceptions was to address situations like this one, where there are acknowledged threats to the safety of people, facilities and assets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is crucial that all parties have clarity regarding the use and application of these circumstances,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Security officers at the Bank of Canada went on strike in June after talks failed to secure a new collective agreement between the central bank and the union.<\/p>\n

Macklem said the bank has pursued a fair settlement through the negotiation process.<\/p>\n

In a statement issued last week, the Public Service Alliance of Canada called on the Bank of Canada to stop using replacement workers and return to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 42 members at the bank\u2019s Ottawa office and seven members at the Montreal office have been on strike for four weeks after the bank locked out members in Montreal,\u201d said the union. \u201cWorkers continue to fight for a fair deal while also demanding respect for their right to strike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether the bank continues to use replacement workers or the services of bargaining unit members during the strike, Bank of Canada spokesperson Paul Badertscher said in an e-mail that \u201cthe short answer is no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the governor\u2019s letter indicates, the bank has complied with the rulings of the CIRB and ceased the prior arrangements and suppliers it had in place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Opinion: The Bank of Canada faces a growing credibility challenge<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2024, Canada passed legislation to ban federally regulated workplaces from bringing in replacement workers during a legal strike. The new rules took effect last year.<\/p>\n

Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said in a letter to Macklem, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu and Secretary of State for Labour John Zerucelli last week that the bank\u2019s \u201crepeated disregard for the board\u2019s orders is unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cParliament enacted Canada\u2019s anti-replacement worker provisions to protect collective bargaining and workers\u2019 constitutional right to strike. Repeated non-compliance undermines both the law and confidence in Canada\u2019s labour relations system,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Bruske said she urged the federal government to make it clear that no federally regulated employer is above the law and that compliance with the Canada Labour Code is not optional.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call on the Bank of Canada to immediately comply with the board\u2019s orders, end its use of scab labour, and return to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair collective agreement,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem at a news conference in Ottawa, June…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":839816,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,44,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":["post-839815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-news","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/839816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}