Mr. Chairman, I move:
That Bill C-76, in Clause 20, be amended by adding to line 28, after “20(3)”, the following:
“or a master agreement reached between the employer and the bargaining agent”.
Mr. Chairman, this is an amendment that would make the bill more balanced.
Since it has just been decided that you can have either a collective agreement by special legislation or a negotiated agreement, this amendment is designed to ensure that the parties will be able to amend the agreement by mutual consent, not only in the case of the agreement provided for in the legislation but also in the case of an agreement resulting from an understanding reached by the two parties.
Without the amendment, we are giving additional powers in the case of the agreement resulting from the special legislation, while an agreement resulting from bargaining could not be corrected in the future, could not be adjusted to new labour market realities as they develop.
This is an amendment that would improve the bill and is practical and functional.