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In 1944, as the 2nd World War was drawing to a close, the Canadian government, propelled by worker unrest passed Order - in - Council PC 1003, legislation that totally reformed industrial relations in Canada. The Order - in - Council required employers to recognize and bargain with unions and it sanctioned strikes as appropriate ways of resolving disputes. It also banned strikes during the life of a collective agreement and restricted bargaining to a one - employer - at - a - time basis. PC 1003 was incorporated in federal legislation in 1948 and by the province shortly thereafter.
Some time ago, left labour historians and commentators came to regard this arrangement as a compromise. Unions were accorded recognition, limited status and eventually union security. In return they agreed to measures that limited the impact of strikes, fragmented workers' focus and discouraged a class - based unionism.
In this article, Anne Forrest offers a completely different gender - based interpretation. She demonstrates that PC 1003 and its post - war successor legislation was conceived of as serving predominantly male and blue - collar industrial workplaces and that it has in fact served female - based workplaces very poorly.
The story of PC 1003 -- the victory that was labour's -- is the story of men. The workers, the organizers, the strikers: all were men. It was their industrial muscle, their daring and bravado that won the day. The sit - down strike at the Hughes Foundry, the blockade of cars at Ford, the "naval battle" in Hamilton harbour: these were the actions that shook the presumption of managerial control to its very foundations fifty years ago.
The identification of PC 1003 with the cause of working - class men is more than historical image: it is substance. The rights achieved -- the right to organize, the right to strike, and the right to free collective bargaining -- were conceded to men and, over the years, have been exercised almost exclusively by men. Women, by contrast, have been badly served by this legal framework. With few exceptions, the vast majority of women employed in the private sector remain unorganized.
In unison with other post - war labour market policies, PC 1003 was premised on...