Higgs government will limit debate on union pension bill

The Higgs government is moving to limit debate on its legislation to force five public sector employee groups into a shared-risk pension system.

The motion introduced Wednesday will limit debate on the bill to 10 hours, triggering votes next Tuesday when it will be all but certain to pass into law.

Opposition leaders and union officials denounced the move but government House leader Glen Savoie accused the Liberals and Greens of dragging out the second reading of the bill to put off the next step, a committee debate.

"It's very clear that the opposition is not interested in advancing this bill. They're not interested in getting it into committee," he said.  

"They're not speaking on the bill. They're not speaking to anything relating to the bill. All it is is personal attacks. So we're using this tool that is available to us as government." 

Stephen Drost, the New Brunswick president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said the government was afraid that a lengthy debate on the bill would build more support for the unionized workers.

"Isn't that kind of cowardice itself? Afraid to allow the debate to continue? Afraid that the public might really catch on and put some pressure on their MLAs?" he said.

The Pension Plan Sustainability and Transfer Act would force two CUPE locals in the education sector and three groups in the New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions into a process to determine the future of their pension plans.

It requires them to choose one of three different shared-risk pension plans and for the transition to begin by Feb. 1.

The two CUPE locals, representing school custodians, maintenance workers, bus drivers and administrative staff, signed a side agreement on pensions with the province in 2021 at the end of a 16-day strike.

It set up a separate process to resolve the issue.

Legislation violation of agreement, CUPE says

Last week, Higgs accused the union of dragging its feet and declared it was time to legislate a solution.

CUPE says the contract it signed in 2021 does not allow the province to do that, making the legislation a violation of the agreement and of collective bargaining rights.

The legislature was scheduled to adjourn for the Christmas break on Friday. 

But earlier this week Savoie introduced a motion to add two sitting days to the calendar next week to allow more time to debate the bill.

MLAs were expected to pass the 10-hour mark on debate on the bill Wednesday afternoon.

But that won't trigger the end of debate, because the motion to limit time can only be voted on next Tuesday because of procedural rules.

It will apply retroactively to all the time already spent on the bill, meaning the final vote on the bill should happen Tuesday as well. 

Guy Arseneault, Opposition Liberal house leader, said the motion will prevent all MLAs from exercising their right to speak on the bill. 

"It's impossible to do that in 10 hours. … It's not very democratic. Go back to the table. Negotiate a little," he said.

Kevin Arseneau, house leader for the Green Party, said the government was more interested in creating the appearance of enough debate than actually allowing a full debate.

"It really in many senses gives this impression of this just being some kind of show," he said.

Drost said he is still not sure what action CUPE members will take in response to the bill.

Earlier this week, union leaders said some members might strike — something that would be illegal but that CUPE said would "match" the violation of bargaining rights in the legislation.

"I can't tell you what the members are prepared to do, but whatever decision they make, I can tell you that we, as their leaders, will support them," Drost told reporters Wednesday.