The Benefits of Bill 33
Construction Unions Shouldn’t Oppose Proposed Legislation
Quebec’s construction unions ought to rethink their efforts in combating Bill 33.
The proposed legislation is attempting to curb corruption within the industry, but this new legislation is in the interest of the union’s own job security, as well as beneficial to both the general public and infrastructure in Quebec.
Bill 33 seeks to correct the current reality, in which unions have the power to control which companies get hired to work on construction sites.
This situation has lent itself to corruption, and has often resulted in those favoured by union leadership receiving contracts, rather than those best able to complete the job in a timely and efficient matter.
Bill 33 also seeks to transfer the selection powers to a government commission and promises to help transform Quebec’s construction industry so it is far more efficient, much less costly, and, most importantly, free from corruption.
Quebec construction unions have reacted to the proposed legislation in an understandably negative, but unfortunately violent, manner.
Opposition to the bill took the form of illegal walkouts on construction sites around the province, as well as manifesting in violence against construction workers who were seen as cooperating with the government. Threats of physical harm were also issued against the Minister of Labour.
However, if the unions were really concerned with the welfare of their members, they would support Bill 33.
As it currently exists, largely because of union domination, Quebec’s construction industry is far more costly than it needs to be.
Union corruption adds millions of dollars to the cost of public and private construction projects every year, costing Quebec businesses and tax-payers far more than they should be paying.
We live in a world where the job market is both increasingly competitive and increasingly mobile. While the union-based system used to populate construction sites has been in place for some time, nothing is set in stone.
Unless the unions cooperate with the province’s attempt to create a more honest, efficient, and less costly construction industry, the unions and their members may very well find themselves shut out of that industry, and out of their jobs.
The reality is that there are many workers, both in the domestic and international labour markets, who would be more than willing to fill Quebec’s construction needs for a fraction of the current cost.
Unless Quebec’s construction unions go along with efforts to reform that industry, the people of Quebec might eventually force them to.
