Front-line workers like registered nurse Debra Lefebvre are celebrating after an Ontario court struck down Bill 124, the Ford government’s controversial wage restriction law.
“I join thousands of nurses as well as public sector workers in celebrating this decision bill 124 is unconstitutional and contrary to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” said Lefebvre, a member of the board of directors of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.
The bill was introduced in 2019, and saw wage increases for hundreds of thousands of workers at 1 percent per year over a three-year period.
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Lefebvre says the fight to overturn Bill 124 was about much more than money.
“Bill 124 was a slap in the face. It was humiliating for the nurses. At one point the government is saying that we are heroes working during the pandemic with tremendous workload and therefore, we see it as a gesture, a show of respect,” Lefebvre said in a recent interview. Referring to the court’s decision, he said.
The response is similar from Andrea Loken, teacher president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation Limestone District 27.
“We are thrilled that the courts have ruled in favor of free collective bargaining. It is a good day for labor,” Loken said.
The court ruling comes as OSSTF members are on the verge of contract negotiations.
“When you tie the hands of unions, that’s when we get labor disruption. We have had no history of labor disruptions when bargaining is free to proceed as it is permitted under the law, Loken said.
The Ford government says it plans to appeal against the court’s decision to strike down the bill.
It’s a bill that many have blamed, in part, for growing nurse staffing issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Stop wasting taxpayer money, and get on with the business of bringing nurses back,” Lefebvre said. “To all the nurses that have left, let’s work on retention efforts and get things back on the safe side.”
It is not known at this time whether back pay will be part of Bill 124’s repeal.
Lefebvre says he is not optimistic, based on provincial governments’ plans to appeal against the court’s decision.
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