Wednesday, October 19, 2022
As more AMAPCEO bargaining units in the Broader Public Sector (BPS) commence or resume negotiations, the union has received questions about Bill 124 and its impact on negotiations, so we wanted to take this opportunity to provide members with a refresher on this wage-capping bill.
Bill 124 is legislation that limits public sector workers’ compensation increases to a maximum of one per cent a year for three years—including for unionized workers as their contracts expire.
What this means is that when their contracts expire, unionized public sector workers’ compensation increases are capped at one per cent a year for the following three years, regardless of what workers may negotiate with employers through collective bargaining.
Increases based on merit or performance do not count towards the one per cent cap.
Since the legislation was first tabled, AMAPCEO has opposed Bill 124 in the strongest terms. After it was passed, we repeatedly urged the government to repeal it. The union’s position is and has always been that this legislation violates the right to free and fair collective bargaining enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. AMAPCEO was among the first ten unions to file a constitutional challenge to Bill 124, a lawsuit which is still ongoing.
Members can learn more about how Bill 124 affects you specifically by going to https://amapceo.on.ca/bargaining, selecting you bargaining unit, and then clicking “About Bill 124.”