Patrick Faber Denies Union-Busting

Patrick Faber

Earlier today, Education Minister Patrick Faber had a strong response with regard to questions of union-busting in light of the statutory instrument that will be signed. He insisted that the teachers have turned the course away from a labour dispute over the proposed deferral of salary adjustment to a discussion of national issues and therefore cannot now claim that this is a labour issue. He also rejected the notion that bringing in replacement teachers would constitute union-busting or scab labour.

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

“Industrial action is properly warranted—according to the education act and the accompanying rules and the amended rules—industrial action is warranted when there is a properly constituted labor dispute. All is now aware than in fact the three percent increment that the Prime Minister proposed for deferral is not on the table and I need to make that clear. In those Thursday meetings with the Prime Minister, the meetings that lasted for four hours, when it was that the Prime Minister tried to raise the issue of the three percent deferral, the union representatives there said no, we don’t want to talk about that. That is an issue for another meeting; that is an issue for the meeting with the other two unions. And they made it clear—you’ve seen their flyer—it is not about the three; it is about the country…that the eight demands are what they are striking for. So the clearest that you could have gotten to a labor dispute was for that three percent to be brought in. So as far as we are concerned, this strike does not properly constitute a reason under our rules for the teachers union to be striking.”