Ontario unions challenge Bill 124 at Superior Court
by CM Staff
Those who spoke at the hearing also asked the court to acknowledge the impact that Bill 124 has had on women and racialized women.
TORONTO — The morning of Sept. 12, 2022 the Superior Court of Justice heard the constitutional challenge to Bill 124, which unions across the province brought forward.
Union leaders say the bill caps public sector compensation at one per cent, signifying hardship for workers as inflation is the highest it has been in forty years.
Ontario Federation Labour President Patty Coates said the hearing marked an important milestone in their fight against Bill 124. The union leaders have said that the legislation suppresses wages and attacks the province’s trade unions.
Coates also stated that Bill 124 represents a “blatant attack on free and fair collective bargaining,” adding that it favours the interests or employers and disables opportunities for bargaining between parties.
Union leaders also used the hearing to point out Bill 124’s effect on Ontario’s health care system, which has continued to face a staffing crisis.
“By suppressing wages and limiting or denying frontline health care workers the supports they need to do their jobs, the Ford government has made a terrible situation even worse,” said Coates in a statement.
Moreover, those who spoke at the hearing also asked the court to acknowledge the impact that Bill 124 has had on women and racialized women, stating that the legislation has worsened working conditions for a group that was already vulnerable.
“Bill 124 hurts Ontario workers. It hurts the labour relations framework in Ontario. It hurts our public services. It hurts everyone who relies on our health care system. We are all harmed by Bill 124. It must go,” stated Coates.
