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Workforce: Manitoba’s Labour Relations Act

Legislation: Holidays Empl. Standards Code Lab. Relations Act W. Safety & Health Act

The Labour Relations Act is the primary statute regulating labour relations and collective bargaining in Manitoba. It covers most employees in the private and public sectors.

The Act provides a means whereby a group of employees can choose a union to represent them. They do so by satisfying the Manitoba Labour Board that the majority of them desire such representation. Once a union is certified by the Board, it can then bargain on behalf of the employees in the unit, to arrive at an agreement with the employer as to what wages the employees will be paid, and what benefits, working conditions and obligations they will have.

The Act promotes orderly collective bargaining and it contains a number of sections regulating the bargaining process, the content of collective agreements and the timing of strikes and lockouts.
The Labour Relations Act is administered by the Manitoba Labour Board, an independent administrative tribunal with specialized expertise in labour relations matters. Board membership has equal representation from labour groups and employer organizations.

The main objectives of the Manitoba Labour Board are:

• to resolve labour matters fairly and reasonably, and in a manner that will be accepted by the labour/management communities as providing them with guidance in their future dealings

• to respect the majority wishes of employees by issuing appropriate orders for certification or decertification

• to assist parties in resolving disputes without the need of the formal adjudicative process

• to provide information to parties and/or the general public regarding their dealings with the Board or about the Board's operations.

Information about Manitoba Labour Relations Act and the Manitoba Labour Board can be found at the following link: www.gov.mb.ca/labour/labbrd