The United Nations agency charged with monitoring and upholding international labour standards has blasted the government of British Columbia for violating basic labour rights.

In a decision released March 27, highly critical of the government, the International Labour Organization says the province violated the UN convention on freedom of association when it enacted legislation last year overriding collective agreements affecting tens of thousands of public sector workers.

James Turk, executive director of CAUT, said the ILO statement was a very strong condemnation of the Campbell government.

"B.C. has violated some of the most fundamental rights enjoyed in every other democracy in the world," he said. "The ILO decision is a major embarrassment for the province."

Last May, CAUT filed a complaint with the ILO over B.C.'s Public Education Flexibility and Choice Act (Bill 28), legislation that gave the province's college and university college administrators the power to ignore provisions negotiated in collective agreements with faculty.

In its decision, the ILO said Bill 28 removed from collective bargaining some matters previously negotiated, such as class size and assignment of courses.

In passing Bill 28, the ILO said the Campbell government overrode the collective bargaining process and violated fundamental freedom of association principles.

"When a state decides to become a member of the ILO, it accepts the fundamental principles of freedom of association," the report concludes. "All governments are obliged to respect fully the commitments undertaken by ratification of ILO conventions."

In unusually blunt language, the ILO dismissed the government's assertion that the complaints were "frivolous, vexatious, political and trivial," and is demanding the province immediately amend Bill 28 and other offending legislation.

"Bill 28 must be amended or repealed immediately," Turk said. "It's time the Campbell government starts respecting internationally-recognized labour rights."

Background: Bulletin reports February, March, April and November 2002 available online.