Previously published by The
Lawyer's Daily, a division of LexisNexis Canada
The laws that govern both unionized and non-unionized workplaces
in British Columbia are changing. Bill 8, the Employment
Standards Amendments Act, 2019, received its first reading in
the B.C. Legislature on April 29, 2019. On the following day, Bill
30, the Labour Relations Code Amendment Act, also was
tabled for its first reading.
Both bills are long anticipated by the B.C. labour relations
community and deliver on a wide range of campaign promises made by
the B.C. NDP government in the run-up to the 2017 provincial
election.
The changes to the Labour Relations Code
largely mirror the recommendations of the government appointed
three-member panel, which produced its report in late 2018. The
secret ballot vote for certification has been maintained — a
return to a card-based certification would reportedly have been
rejected by the B.C. Green Party, who hold the balance of power
