Status of Women committee  I'm not really sure I understand the context of your question.

Status of Women committee  Let me address a couple of issues. I hear all the time in these discussions that you cannot bargain away human rights. First of all, we employers understand and believe that pay equity is a fundamental human right, and what we're trying to sort out is the appropriate way to get there, the appropriate way to solve the wage gap in the environment in which we're required to operate.

Status of Women committee  Employers don't disagree with a proactive approach; in fact, we support it. In a nutshell, employers believe it's important to identify gaps where they exist, identify the reasons for the gaps, and develop a plan to close the gap. Understanding why the gap exists is most important, and also enlisting, in a unionized environment, the assistance of the union to work with the employer to achieve agreements and address issues that will close the gap.

Status of Women committee  Pay equity is a human right and pay equity is also part of the bargaining process. We can't change the labour laws that exist in this country. We have to operate within the confines of those laws. An employer cannot change the terms and working conditions of unionized employees without the involvement of the union, without fair collective bargaining, and without the give and take that is necessary to find solid solutions to complex problems.

Status of Women committee  I could comment, if you wish.

Status of Women committee  Yes, I am, thank you.

Status of Women committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. My name is John Farrell. I'm the executive director of Federally Regulated Employers - Transportation and Communications. Joining me today as an adviser on pay equity matters is Ms. Barbara Gagné, manager of labour relations and classification at Nav Canada, a FETCO member.

Status of Women committee  Yes. Another very important point in the ability to manage pay equity is the determination of the term “establishment” or “pay equity unit”. We believe that the most appropriate unit for determining pay equity is the bargaining unit, as determined in the certification under the Canada Labour Code.

Human Resources committee  Thank you.

Human Resources committee  The current employment insurance provisions have a qualifying period of 52 weeks. The way it is set up, you have to be gainfully employed during those 52 weeks and making contributions to the fund. If you're able to engage in a labour dispute and extend your entitlement for a long period of time, based on what may have happened two or three years ago in terms of your last employment and your last contribution to the EI fund as an employee, then you're going to be in a position where you're gaining an advantage if you're receiving benefits after a long period of time.

Human Resources committee  --or unions.

Human Resources committee  Fundamentally, yes.

Human Resources committee  I think that's a fair comment. I think that, in a labour relations sense, stability is quite important. The ability of employers in the federal jurisdiction to work with the Canadian Labour Congress to hammer out the way the Canada Labour Code operates or the way in which employment standards would operate is a very important arrangement or relationship that should go into the thinking of any labour laws.

Human Resources committee  Fundamentally, very few labour disputes end up in strikes or lockouts. Let's put it this way: I think that the record in Canada has been getting better and better over the last 10 years. For the most part, in all jurisdictions, employers, employees, and unions are finding better solutions to problems.

Human Resources committee  May I answer? As far as I know.