A proposal by the Manitoba government to scrap an act that guarantees a minimum wage for construction workers is off the table after near-universal outcry from the industry and its unions.

A letter sent last month outlining plans to repeal the Construction Industry Wages Act sent shock waves through the industry — whose members said they never asked for the repeal, or discussed it with government.

Two of the largest construction advocacy groups in the province — the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association and the Winnipeg Construction Association — collectively questioned the move, concerned it would drive down wages during a period of economic uncertainty.

However, those fears were quelled Thursday when Finance Minister Scott Fielding met with the associations and other affected groups, like the Construction Labour Relations Association of Manitoba and the Manitoba Building Trades, which represents 13 member unions within the construction industry.

“He listened to all the players and I give him full credit for that,” said Peter Wightman, executive director of the Construction Labour Relations Association.

“We were such a unified voice from all different players in the industry … all saying the same thing. So I think he felt very confident with saying, ‘Oops, maybe I should rethink this.”

Wightman’s association acts as the chief bargainer for many construction companies during their contract negotiations with unions. 

Instead of repealing the act, the province and industry representatives agreed to establish a working group with employers, associations and unions to look at making changes to the construction wages act, which hasn’t been updated since 2017.

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