The complainant union alleged that the respondent company violated the Labour Relations Act by unilaterally starting a new apprentice electrician at the third-year rate, bypassing the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee.
The company brought a preliminary motion requesting the Board to defer the matter to arbitration.
The Board found that the essence of the complaint involved the interpretation of the collective agreement and the scope of the Joint Committee's duties.
Concluding that the dispute was primarily contractual and that arbitration was an adequate and appropriate forum, the Board granted the motion, deferred to the arbitration process, and declined to hear the complaint on its merits.
