Tuesday, December 6, 2022
We are delighted to share the final report from the Ontario Assembly on Workplace Democracy, which includes 14 policy recommendations to amplify workers’ voices and improve their ability to influence decisions in their workplaces.
Sponsored by the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources (CIRHR) and led by CIRHR Director, Rafael Gomez, visiting researcher, Andrew Gibson, and Simon Pek from the University of Victoria, the initiative addresses longstanding issues in the workplace, primarily workers’ inability to “have their say” at work, which can negatively impact their productivity and well-being.
32 Ontarians from all walks of life were selected through a democratic lottery to participate in five in-depth sessions over three months, a process that “helps bring together a much more diverse set of participants and perspectives than are traditionally included in discussions of worker voice,” says Pek.
Participants engaged in frank, open discussions about their own experiences voicing concerns at work; learned about existing legislation, protections and workers’ options from experts; and established a vision for what worker voice should look like in the future.
This final report captures participants’ overarching concerns about the current state of worker voice in Ontario, the values that guided their work and decision-making, and a comprehensive set of recommendations pertaining to what the government, employers, and labour advocates can do to reinvigorate and build on the current model of worker voice in Ontario. The recommendations, says Gomez, “present a promising and far-reaching vision for what is possible based on what matters to Ontarians and Ontario businesses.”
To celebrate this collective effort, the CIRHR will be holding an official launch of the Assembly’s report at the 2022 Morley Gunderson Lecture in Industrial Relations and Labour Economics on December 8 at 4pm EST. The event will include a panel of Assembly participants, experts, and organizers. All members of the public are welcome to attend.