Prentice to revoke restrictive labour legislation Bill 45

Premier Jim Prentice assuredpublic sector union leaders Thursday hewill not attempt to rollback wages andpromised to revokea controversial billthat restrictedunion activity and imposed prohibitive fines for illegal strikes.

Bill 45,which passed under former premier Alison Redford but was neverproclaimed,was vilified as anti-union and drove a wedge between the government and its employees.

It was passed in December 2013 in response to awalkout of prison guards.

The bill was being challenged in the courts by the United Nurses of Alberta,which called ita violation of their freedom under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Prentice said the bill should never have been introduced or passedin the first place.

He said he hopes with Bill 45 out of the picture, amorerespectful tone will be set for labour negotiations.

Prentice made the announcement after meeting with leaders of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, the UnitedNurses of Alberta, Health Sciences Associationand the Canadian Union of Public Employees Alberta.

Labour groups haveaccusedthe premier ofdemonizingpublic sector workers afterhe repeatedlyblamed theircontracts for the province's fiscal woes.