OCS picks Constructionlab to design new labour relations course
Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS) has after a competitive selection process chosen Constructionlab, a London, ON-based professional development consultancy, to develop and implement a new labour relations course.
The training course will be provided to labour and management stakeholders in Ontario’s unionized construction sector. OCS is the province’s joint labour/management organization representing 25 unionized construction trades and their contractor partners in the construction industry. The organization provides research and training, as well as policy guidance on matters relating to the industry.
The multi-day, intensive course will have eight focus areas, including historical context of construction labour relations, case law examples and scenarios, negotiation theory and style, grievances, and jurisdictional processes, health and safety, and human rights.
"We are thrilled to be working with Constructionlab and are confident this course will be an asset to industry stakeholders across the province,” Robert Bronk, CEO of OCS, said. “As a new wave of labour and management stakeholders start to take leadership positions, this course will provide historical perspectives and touch on key elements required to build trust, maintain and improve critical relationships and enhance ongoing stability in Ontario’s unionized ICI construction sector for years to come.”
As the content is developed in the next three months, internal and external review teams will ensure the course reflects current labour relations trends and is accessible and inclusive.
“One of the key aspects of the overall project, is to ensure that as the course is being developed, it is being tested by those who are at the bargaining table and on the ground involved in local work area practices, grievance procedures, and finding solutions to better Ontario's existing industrial, commercial, and institutional construction collective agreements,” said Derek Smith, founder of Constructionlab. "We are looking forward to working with the team at the OCS, as we build a robust course that will benefit all actors across the ICI industry."
Smith founded in Constructionlab in 2017. The firm provides professional development courses and lectures to clients in the construction and design sector, including private contractors, colleges, and employer associations.
Smith previously practiced building design for nearly 20 years and spent almost a decade leading local construction associations.
