THE FREEZING EFFECT OF PUBLIC-SECTOR BARGAINING - THE CASE OF ONTARIO CROWN EMPLOYEES

This article examines the impact of a narrow scope of negotiable issues on employees, unions, and the bargaining process in the Ontario government sector. The third-party negotiability procedure was found to have a ''freezing effect'' on collective bargaining in two ways. First, by enshrining management's rights in the statute, the law effectively fossilized labor relations, preventing dynamic change from occurring. Second, the process itself froze negotiations through delays and employer challenges to employee priority issues. The article concludes with an outline of the 1993 reform of this restrictive labor relations system highlighted by the introduction of the right to strike and the removal of limitations on the scope of negotiable issues.