Mandate

The Labour Relations Act establishes the mandate of the Manitoba Labour Board as an independent and autonomous specialist tribunal responsible for the fair and efficient administration and adjudication of responsibilities assigned to it under this and any other Act.

The Board consists of a full-time chairperson, two full-time vice-chairpersons, nine part-time vice-chairpersons and 30 part-time board members (comprised of an equal representation of 14 members from labour groups and 14 members from employer organizations).

The Board's responsibility for administration and/or adjudication can be categorized into two areas:

• applications filed pursuant to The Labour Relations Act, The Pay Equity Act, The Workplace Safety and Health Act, The Public Schools Act, The Elections Act, The Victims' Bill of Rights, and The Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act
• complaints and appeals referred to the Board by the Employment Standards Division

The objectives of the Manitoba Labour Board are:

• to resolve labour and employment matters in a fair and reasonable manner and in a way which will be accepted by the labour/management community as providing them with guidance in their future dealings
• to respect the majority wishes of employees by issuing the appropriate order, being certification or decertification
• to assist parties in resolving disputes through mediation (without the need of the formal adjudicative process)
• to process applications as expeditiously as possible
• to provide parties and/or the public with information pertaining to their dealings with the Board or about the Board's operations

The Board is responsible for the development of sound and harmonious labour/management relations by:

1. granting certification to bargaining agents who represent the majority interests of employees within specific bargaining units
2. expeditiously handling other applications referred to the Board under The Labour Relations Act (e.g., expedited arbitrations, essential services determinations, appointments of mediators, conciliators and/or arbitrators, Board rulings, alleged unfair labour practices, etc.)

The Board has the additional responsibility of adjudicating on matters referred to the Board under The Workplace Safety and Health Act, The Pay Equity Act, The Essential Services Act, The Public Schools Act, The Elections Act, The Victims' Bill of Rights, and The Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act.

The Board also has the adjudicative responsibility of dealing with referrals from the Employment Standards Division of Manitoba Labour and Immigration. The Board adjudicates disputes between employees and employers filed with the Employment Standards Division, pursuant to the various Acts they administer, and subsequently referred to the Board where they have been unsuccessful in resolving the dispute.

Although the Board conducts numerous formal hearings annually, a significant portion of the Board's workload is administrative in nature. Where possible, the Board encourages the settlement of disputes in an informal manner by appointing one of its board officers to assist the parties in resolving outstanding issues and complaints.