Hajdu says planned bill will reduce federal interventions in strikes

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu says planned legislation will help reduce the number of times the federal government has to intervene in strikes.

Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Hajdu offered few details about expected amendments to the Canada Labour Code. She said no government wants to intervene in a strike and that employers and unions are better off resolving problems themselves at the bargaining table.

Employers and unions have strongly disagreed over the use of Section 107 of the labour code, which has increasingly been used to curb work stoppages in key industries by referring disputes to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

Employment and Social Development Canada said in a report earlier this month that employers and unions are divided over how much power Ottawa should have to intervene in labour disputes. Prime Minister Mark Carney was meeting with his Liberal caucus in Ottawa as MPs prepare to return to the House of Commons next week.