First agreement arbitration in Quebec

Quebec is one of several jurisdictions in Canada which have legislation providing for the terms of a first collective agreement to be settled by arbitration at the request of either the union or the employer. The legislation came into effect in 1978 against a background of numerous work stoppages in first contract negotiations and it was hoped that it would encourage the parties to make greater efforts to reach settlement.

Under the legislation, an application for arbitration can be made only if conciliation has been unsuccessful and an arbitrator will impose a settlement only after attempting to mediate the dispute and concluding that the parties would be unable to reach agreement within a reasonable period of...