Fredericton – Kevin Arseneau, MLA for Kent-North, tabled An Act to Amend the Industrial Relations Act on Thursday. The bill aims to ban the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout, and is modelled after legislation in British Columbia.

“Banning scab workers would be a concrete way of showing support to the province’s workers, many of whom have been working ceaselessly on the frontlines of this pandemic,” says Arseneau. “Now is the time to show respect for New Brunswick’s workers with real action, rather than words.”

If passed, the bill would ban the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout. It would also create penalties of up to a $10, 000 fine for employers who use replacement workers.

“As we have seen with the recent situation at the Allardville landfill, the use of replacement workers in New Brunswick is a big problem,” says Arseneau. “The use of these workers decreases the bargaining power for unionized workers and is contrary to the principle of good-faith negotiations.”