Series GR-1086 - Administrative records of the Labour Relations Board

The Labour Relations Board was established under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act (SBC 1947, c. 44) as the Labour Relations Board (British Columbia). The Board took over the functions of its predecessor body, the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Branch (established by the 1937 Act), which formed part of the Dept. of Labour. The Board consisted of a Chairman, members and various officers, including a Chief Executive Officer, a Registrar and a Senior Conciliation Officer. The Head office was in Victoria with a branch office in Vancouver. A separate vote under the Dept. of Labour provided funds. The Board had two major functions; the registration and certification of union bargaining units, and the responsibility to resolve labour strikes and disputes by mediation, conciliation and arbitration. The governing act was repealed in 1954 and replaced by the Labour Relations Act (SBC 1954, c. 17). The Board now had closer ties with the Dept. of Labour, falling as it did, under the newly created Labour Relations Branch. In the estimates, the Board's funds are part of the vote for the Labour Relations Branch. The Deputy Minister of Labour, W.H. Sands, was appointed as Chairman of the Board. The Board continued its function of registering and certifying union bargaining units as well as meeting its obligations under the act of promoting and maintaining industrial peace in the province through mediation of disputes and the establishment of Boards of Conciliation to settle disputes. In 1973 the Labour Relations Act was repealed and replaced by the Labour Code of British Columbia, (SBC 1973, c. 122). Under the new Code, the head office was moved to Vancouver as an independent body with jurisdiction over all aspects of labour-management relations, including the formation of trade unions, unfair labour practices, certifications, bargaining in good faith, picketing, strikes and lockouts, first collective agreements, technological change, and arbitration. The Board was given its own vote in the spending estimates with a substantial increase of funds. The Industrial Relations Reform Act of 1987 (SBC 1987, c. 24) amended the Labour Code by repealing the title and substituting “Industrial Relations Act” in its place. The Board was renamed the Industrial Relations Council. The new Labour Relations Code (SBC 1992, c. 82) changed the Board's name back to the Labour Relations Board. Throughout these name changes, the responsibilities of the Board remained the same.