By Ethan Ready

Economic Recovery

Province plans to engage with forestry stakeholders on successorship practices

Sep 20, 2020 | 11:14 AM

VICTORIA – A focused engagement with stakeholders regarding contract tendering in B.C.’s forestry sector will begin by the Ministry of Labour.

The purpose of it is to identify improvements that will support the long-term stability of jobs and economic recovery in the sector.

“Last year, we made improvements to the Labour Relations Code to ensure that workers who have built up fair wages and job security over years of service do not lose those benefits when service contracts are tendered,” said Harry Bains, Minister of Labour in a release made by the Province. “This engagement will help us identify whether the same protections are in place for workers in the forestry sector.”

Back in 2019, the government made changes to the Labour Relations Code that were supported by recommendations put forward by an independent review. This review was completed the year prior by a balanced committee of special advisers, which included both an employer and a labour representative. It also included recommendations based on a thorough public consultation.

The review identified one important area regarding successorship protections for the forestry sector that needed further consultation before any further recommendations could be made. As a result, government states they intend to establish an industrial inquiry commission (IIC) under the code to review contract tendering in the forestry sector, outside the scope of any Indigenous or First Nations interests.

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“Protecting workers’ job security and benefits will help with the economic recovery of the B.C. forestry sector,” said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. “That’s why we’ll appoint an IIC to reach out to industry experts, unions and employers to better understand successorship and contract tendering in the sector.”

According to the Province, the outcome of an industrial inquiry commission will help guide future potential changes to the Labour Relations Code or the code’s regulations.