The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of BC says it is preparing for legal action over the BC Government's new 'Community Benefits Agreement.'
The NDP plans to manage its labour force on public projects, with focus on apprenticeship training, hiring women and Indigenous Peoples, and aligning wages. “British Columbians deserve the opportunity to work on major government projects being built in and near their communities,” said Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “This Community Benefits Agreement will put local people first in line for good jobs building the roads, bridges and other infrastructure we need.”
Under the Community Benefits Agreement, a newly created Crown corporation, BC Infrastructure Benefits Inc. (BCIB) will be in charge of hiring the project’s construction workers as well as manage payroll and benefits.
Jordan Bateman, Head of Communications for the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association(ICBA) says the Agreement calls for workers to have to join the BC Building Trades Union in order to work on government roads, bridges and other infrastructure. He says that would effect a big portion of the quarter of a million British Columbians working in the construction industry, “Only 15% are part of the traditional Building Trades Union so we’re talking about around 25 billion dollars worth of infrastructure over the next 3 years, the province plans to build, and it looks like all of that is going through the hands of the Building Trades Union, who just conveniently happen to give John Horgan millions of dollars and thousands of hours of volunteers for his NDP Party,” Bateman said while appearing on The Early Edition on AM 1150.
Bateman says asking workers to join the BC Building Trades Union in order to be eligible for work is, “ just an obscene, offensive thing to have happen. We’re sending it to lawyers. We think it actually violates a number of trade agreements and Freedom of Association. We’re going to fight these guys ‘tooth and nail.’”
The first projects to be delivered under the new community benefits agreement are the Pattullo Bridge in the Lower Mainland, and four-laning the Trans-Canada Highway between Kamloops and Alberta.