On Friday, September 18, MHCA and our partner construction associations met for more than two hours with the Premier’s Chief of Staff and senior provincial officials to discuss a new, unreleased draft of the Manitoba Jobs Agreement.
We approached the meeting as we have approached this issue from the beginning: in good faith and with the interests of Manitoba’s construction industry as a whole in mind.
We recognize that government intends to retain an MJA in Manitoba. Given the significance of this policy, our responsibility is to ensure that any agreement is lawful, workable, competitive and fair.
At Friday’s meeting, the associations presented detailed concerns, explained their practical consequences and proposed specific changes. We made it clear that the current draft is unacceptable and, in several important respects, creates greater concerns than the MJA already in place.
Our concerns include:
- increased project costs;
- reduced bidding competition;
- substantial administrative burden;
- interference with contractor management rights;
- risks to existing bargaining relationships;
- mandatory wage deductions from workers who will not benefit;
- the absence of meaningful protection for open-shop contractors against MJA-enabled organizing and certification activity;
- inadequate privacy protections; and
- barriers that may prevent Manitoba contractors, particularly smaller firms, from participating in public projects.
These are not abstract objections. They come from the women and men in our industry responsible for bidding, staffing, managing and delivering Manitoba’s public infrastructure.
Friday’s meeting provided an opportunity to present these concerns directly to senior government officials. Government indicated that the issues raised would be considered, but provided no commitment that amendments would be made.
For more than a year, the construction associations have participated in meetings, provided written submissions, sought a mediated process and proposed workable alternatives. We have consistently demonstrated our willingness to help government develop an agreement that is lawful, competitive, transparent and fair to workers, contractors and taxpayers.
Government has engaged with us through meetings and discussions. What remains to be demonstrated is whether that consultation will result in meaningful changes to the agreement.
Meaningful consultation requires more than hearing industry’s concerns after key policy decisions have been made. It requires a willingness to reconsider those decisions when the people responsible for delivering the work identify serious practical consequences and propose workable alternatives.
While we were meeting with senior officials to raise these concerns, the Province concurrently held a media event promoting the MJA. The timing reinforced our concern that public promotion of the agreement is proceeding while significant issues raised by the construction industry remain unresolved.
However, the central issue is not one media event or any single statistic. The central issue is whether the Premier and Cabinet will address the substantive problems that have now been placed before them.
They have a detailed written record of our concerns and proposed solutions. The next step belongs to government.
The measure of meaningful consultation is straightforward: not the number of meetings held, assurances offered or announcements made, but whether the process results in substantive and practical improvements to the agreement.
MHCA and our partner associations will continue to act responsibly and constructively. We remain prepared to work quickly with government toward an agreement that supports Manitoba workers without undermining competition, imposing unnecessary costs or excluding the Manitoba contractors needed to deliver these projects.
But participation in a process cannot be mistaken for endorsement of its outcome.
If the identified problems are not addressed, MHCA will continue to use all responsible avenues available to represent our members and protect the broader interests of Manitoba’s construction industry and the taxpayers it serves.
We will keep members informed as government responds.
Winnipeg Construction Association
Manitoba Heavy Construction Association
Construction Association of Rural Manitoba
Merit Contractors Association
