The Chronicle Herald strike/lock out has been going on for over eight months with no immediate resolution in sight. The women and men of the Halifax Typographical Union have been picketing daily outside of the Chronicle Herald premises on Joseph Howe Drive.
The dispute, as reported, concerns basic labour principles such as job security and technological change. Not easy things to resolve. In addition, the Herald is our provincial newspaper. It is important to our democracy and public life. The public is best served with a quality newspaper written by professional journalists. To have this, the strike must be resolved.
The best efforts of both sides to try and broker a Collective Agreement have proven fruitless. It appears that the strike may never end. Perhaps that is a preferred outcome of one of the parties. However, prolonged strikes are unhealthy for the workers, the employer and the public served by the enterprise.
It is time for the Province of Nova Scotia to step in. Minister Kelly Regan must act to attempt to facilitate a resolution of the dispute. The Trade Union Act has two mechanisms available, a Conciliation Board or Industrial Inquiry Board. Either Board can make recommendations to the parties to try to resolve the dispute. Either Board can enlist knowledgeable practitioners of labour relations in a final effort to resolve the dispute. The workers deserve to have a settlement, the employer deserves to have a settlement and the public deserves to have a quality newspaper. The results of either Board are not necessarily binding – that depends on the parties – but it is certainly worth a try. Any Minister of Labour who is interested in labour relations would utilize one of these mechanisms available under the Act.
Minister Regan, it’s time to act.
Please note Pink Larkin does not represent any party in this matter