CKNW News Staff | Email news tips to nwnews@cknw.com
6/3/2012
The head of the BC Federation of Labour is calling a ruling from Ontario's top court "a terrible decision."
That ruling bans RCMP officers from forming a union.
Jim Sinclair points to the fact that other police forces across the country -- are unionized.
"You can work out essential services, other police forces aren't allowed to strike, that's not the issue. The issue is whether they have a democratic right to join a union and have a mature relationship with their employer, and work out their problems in a mature way."
Sinclair argues a unionized national police force would also help to weed out problem employees.
"It boggles the mind that a court decision would say that something as basic as your right to join a union, because you work for the national government, you can't do that... that's just fundamentally wrong."
Meanwhile, BC's Justice Minister says she does not expect policing costs to rise in the province, despite the Ontario court ruling.
In an e-mail, Shirley Bond says the BC Government has kept an eye on the Ontario proceedings, which first began in 2009.
She says her ministry will need time to review the court's decision before commenting on any possible impacts in BC.
But she adds she's been told not to expect any direct effect on policing costs as a result.
Many municipaliticies in BC have signed on to a new 20-year contract with the mounties, which included some controversial raises, but several are still holding out, despite an approaching deadline.
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