Image: Labour Day Celebration / CFJC Today / File

By Doug Collins

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Do we really need a Labour Day?

Sep 3, 2023 | 6:00 AM

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column suggesting most of our Statutory Holidays were meaningless and a waste of time, serving no purpose other than a free day off. I suggested they could all be done away with. I am not sure what kind of mood I was in when I wrote it, but fortunately, I tested it on my family. They strongly urged me to give it some more thought. I did and wound up scratching it.

Tomorrow is Labour Day. It is celebrated by a gathering at McDonald Park from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM.

I was a union member for only a short time in my lengthy career- when I started out in the mid-60s with the CBC and at the end, when I stepped away from my managerial duties and became a member of Unifor.

But between those times, I spent a lot of time on the other side of the table, on the negotiating team for our company. We have pretty much always had a good relationship with our union. Not always rosy, but we have had very few grievances and many issues have been resolved with good, common sense discussion. That isn’t always the case.

Some union-management conflicts have been hard-nosed and in some cases have turned to violence. Unions have had to fight tooth and nail to gain fair and equitable pay, decent work schedules, and to be treated as people rather than serfs.

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It has been a long battle. It has been good to see companies slowly move to see things from the workers’ perspective, and some unions going the same way. Some unions are still very confrontational and unwilling to compromise in any way. Some companies are too. But things are changing, albeit at a snail’s pace in some areas.

As members of the Labour Movement celebrate their achievements tomorrow, I hope they reflect positively on what they have accomplished since Labour Day was officially signed into law in 1894, and at the same time, try to seek ways where they can work with employers in harmony to make their lot better without having a bitter, drawn-out conflict.

Probably too much to ask at this stage, but something to contemplate on this holiday.

To answer my question at the top -“yes”, we do need a Labour Day, not only to reflect on Labour’s accomplishments in the past, but just as much to reflect on where we go in the future, and it is probably more important to look ahead than behind.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.