In an important victory for all workers, an Ontario court has struck down Bill 124, the Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act. Bill 124 stripped workers of their right to free collective bargaining under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and as recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada. 

In a decision released Tuesday of this week, Ontario Superior Court Justice Markus Koehnen declared that imposing a 1% wage cap amounts to “authoritarian” direction of a government committed to sidestepping the collective bargaining process.  

Bill 124 limited wage increases for roughly 780,000 workers to 1% per year for a three-year period which was a blatant attack on sectors predominately represented by women workers.  

The Ford government has signaled their intention to chip away at workers’ rights by appealing the court’s decision.

PSAC was a founding member of a coalition of unions that came together when the bill was first introduced to challenge the attack on workers' rights and the collective bargaining process. PSAC represents more than 6000 workers in Ontario working for health authorities, counselling services, addiction centres and many of Ontario’s universities, and we’re happy to see this decision.