Human Resources committee  Less than 1%, although I might add that some banks have been unionized for over 25 years.

Human Resources committee  There's a simple explanation for this. Banks are able to offer employees attractive working conditions and fringe benefits, as well as flexible programs to help workers balance work and family life. Therefore, employees choose not to be represented by a union. Some have joined a

Human Resources committee  Yes.

Human Resources committee  Let me start by answering your first question. I didn't say that this bill posed a threat to banks. I said that it posed a threat to banking services. That's very important, because this affects all Canadians.

Human Resources committee  Regarding the level of service—

Human Resources committee  I'd like to go back to what Mr. Georgetti said about communications in response to a question fromMs. Brown. Ms. Brown had asked Mr. Georgetti how communications could be assured between the telecommunications and banking sectors. His response to her was that there were no proble

Human Resources committee  The existing legislation guarantees that a minimum level of service is provided. That's what we mean by achieving a balance.

Human Resources committee  Mr. Georgetti stated that the current balanced approach works well.

Human Resources committee  Apparently it's working, but there is no proof. In our opinion, there is no tangible evidence that this bill will make a difference. Besides, statistics—

Human Resources committee  Basically, what you're saying is that this approach works in Quebec.

Human Resources committee  The statistics that we've presented to you would indicate that the opposite is true.

Human Resources committee  Statistics can be used to make some plausible arguments for either approach.

Human Resources committee  I won't quote any figures. I'll give you some concrete examples involving real people. Let me relate to you an experience I had in my organization where people showed up for work every day. We had a branch in Fermont and employees were represented by an union with which we had be

Human Resources committee  I submit that it's impossible in all cases for managers to do the work. It's inconceivable to think that in certain circumstances, managers can replace workers with specialized skills.

Human Resources committee  Thank you. Thank you for inviting the Canadian Bankers Association to participate in this public hearing on Bill C-257, which is about replacement workers. Just a couple of statistics. We represent 54 chartered banks, which employ over 249,000 Canadians, 218,000 of whom fall