On September 29^th, the 9^th lecture on “2020 Labor Relations under Global Work Resumption During the Pandemic” was held online by our university and co-organized by the Labor Relations Branch of Human Resources Development of China. Irene Zhou, Deputy Director of International Labor Affairs of the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), was invited to give a lecture on “Characteristics of the Industrial Relations System and Pandemic Responses in Canada”. Over 350 experts, scholars, teachers and students inside and outside the campus attended online. The lecture was hosted by Professor Cheng Yanyuan from the School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China.

Ms. Zhou, experienced in international labor affairs, elaborated on the characteristics of the industrial relations system in Canada and its differences from that in the US based on Canada Labor Code. Her elaboration focused on multiple aspects, including the division of federal jurisdiction, the structural characteristics of labor law, the basic principles of labor relations, the mode, process, rights and obligations of collective bargaining, labor union certification procedures, and the federal government’s dispute mediation and conciliation procedures. She pointed out that the Canadian industrial relations system showed benign labor-management interactions in a free-market economy. Industrial harmony and humane workplaces can increase productivity. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Canadian government, labor unions and employers have responded promptly and proactively. On the one hand, they have gone all out to prevent and control the pandemic; on the other, they have rapidly expanded the coverage of social security and fully supported the recovery and development of enterprises through expansionary fiscal policies, thereby alleviating the downward economic pressure and the severe damages to the labor market caused by the pandemic. According to Ms. Zhou, with globalization, financialization and technological progress, new forms of production organization have led to more non-standard labor relations and unstable jobs. However, the limitations in labor laws made it difficult for all workers to share economic and social development. She also analyzed current challenges under Covid-19 concerning the Occupational Safety & Health Act, gender and ethnic differences in high-risk industries, and the protection of labor rights and interests for workers in the gig economy. Furthermore, Ms. Zhou gave suggestions on the profitability test for employers in the platform economy, labor security for all, and future labor security in the workplace.

During the discussion, Huang Wei, Associate Professor from the School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China, commented on following issues from a comparative perspective, including the relationship between labor relations and economic and social development, the similarities between the U.S. and Canada labor relations systems, and how the government and labor unions address the contradiction between labor relations and public interests. He emphasized that under economic and social crises, it was important to have stronger tripartite cooperation between labor and management, and harmonious labor relations built and shared by all. During the Q&A session, Associate Professor Qiao Jian, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of our university, had an in-depth discussion with Ms. Zhou on funding resources and the meaning of labor security for all.

In her concluding speech, Professor Cheng Yanyuan expressed her gratitude to Ms. Zhou for her wonderful lecture. As summarized by Professor Chen, the lecture introduced Canada’s collective bargaining, mediation and conciliation system designed for effective dispute response from an international perspective, and also pondered over workplace safety in the future. It has brought many implications for the audience in terms of profitability tests for employers in platform economy and all-around labor security. As an important part of our university’s internationalization plan, the lecture is surely a valuable opportunity for people to broaden their international horizons and acquire professional knowledge.

Irene Zhou is currently the Deputy Director of International Labor Affairs of the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) of the Canadian Federal Government. She used to be the Director of the Labor Dispute Resolution Division of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and the Senior Policy Advisor of the Strategic Policy Branch. She is the spokesperson for a series of International Labor Organization (ILO) related issues including the Canadian government’s transition from the informal to the formal economy, basic principles and rights at work, and decent work in global supply chains. From September 2018 to June 2020, as a labor law expert in the China and Mongolia Bureau of the ILO, she wrote and published a research report on China’s digital labor platforms and the protection of workers’ rights and interests.

(Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges (Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs))