Bank of Canada ordered to stop using replacement workers during strike

The Bank of Canada has been ordered to stop using the services of contracted Garda workers while its security officers are on strike.

In a decision Tuesday, the Canada Industrial Relations Board said the Bank of Canada has contravened the Canada Labour Code by using contractors and the services of union members during the strike.

Security officers at the Bank of Canada went on strike in June seeking better wages and stable schedules, after talks failed to secure a new collective agreement between the bank and the union.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada said at the time that 63 security officers at the Bank of Canada’s Ottawa and Montreal offices were on strike and that the Montreal workers were also locked out by the employer.

The issue was brought to the board after the union also claimed the bank had been contacting workers during the strike and planned to contract a third party for security services.

In 2024, Canada passed legislation to ban federally regulated workplaces from bringing in replacement workers during a legal strike, and the new rules came into effect last year.

— With files from Craig Lord and Sammy Hudes

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press