McGill recently hosted a delegation of Italian union leaders who were on a tour of major cities in Canada to explore labour relations in this country. Organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada, the 12 senior delegates met with Robert Comeau, Director, employee and Labour Relations at McGill.
Robert gave an overview of the 13 unions within McGill, how they emerged and the status of negotiations with each. “The emphasis of the discussion was on conducting labour relations in an academic setting,” said Robert after a brief tour of the downtown campus, which prompted many questions from the group. Labour relations in Quebec differ from those in places like Lombardy, Italy, where most of the delegates are from. After the meeting, which was conducted through an interpreter, many of them said they learned a great deal from their visit.
The delegation’s visit to Canada also included a tour of Bombardier operations and meetings with national labour organizations, including the Canadian Labour Congress.