Program Overview

The Labour-Management Relations Certificate is an intensive 4-day program that would be beneficial for anyone working in a unionized environment. The program is specifically targeted toward those operating in key labour relations positions, including union leaders and officers, human resource managers and advisors, workplace consultants, and neutral government officials.

The Labour-Management Relations Certificate program covers fundamentals of labour relations, collective bargaining, mediation and grievance arbitration, labour and employment law, and emerging workplace issues. It offers a rare opportunity for union leaders, managers, and neutrals to trade perspectives and share ideas with industrial relations experts. The program incorporates active learning through group discussions and includes a collective bargaining simulation. 

	Fundamentals of Labour Relations and the Employment Relationship Roles of the different parties (union, management, government, third parties) Best practices for good labour-management relationships Changing attitudes toward work
	Collective Agreement Arbitration Understanding the arbitration process Building a strong case How to think like an arbitrator Landmark arbitration decisions
	Mediation When is mediation appropriate or necessary? Dealing with workplace conflict Understanding conflict and communication styles
	Collective Bargaining Understanding the bargaining context Developing negotiation strategy Building strong and effective bargaining teams Leveraging conflict to get results Finding common ground Maintaining good relationships Enhancing integrity and professionalism
	Legal Framework Interpreting labour law Understanding labour legislation Human rights/contracts/employment standards Duty to accommodate Privacy rights Progressive Discipline Drug Testing

• Key Learning Objectives
  • Understand major legislative and workplace issues surrounding collective bargaining, mediation, and grievance arbitration
  • Develop practical skills and learn tools for effective communications, negotiations, and conflict resolution
  • Explore how to develop fair and effective solutions to common labour relations problems in organizations
  • Provide an opportunity for union leaders and officers, managers and human resource professionals, and neutral mediators, arbitrators and government officials, to come together in a safe and collaborative learning environment and be exposed to diverse perspectives
  • Practice negotiation skills and collective bargaining through customized simulation experiences
• Who Should Attend
  • Union Leaders and Officers 
  • Human Resource Managers and Strategic Business Advisors  
  • Labour Relations Managers and Professionals 
  • Mediators and Labour Arbitrators 
  • Neutral government officials 
  • Workplace Consultants 
  • Lawyers with an interest in labour and employment relations 
• How Will This Program Benefit Me

  Improve labour-management relationships Effectively prepare for collective bargaining Understand labour law and emerging legal issues Navigate investigations, mediation and arbitration Gain access to experts and leaders in the labour relations field Utilize newly-built professional relationships to strengthen your network

• What Is Included
  • All learning materials provided digitally through Canvas
  • Certificate of Completion
  • Credential to add to your CV and LinkedIn Profile 
  • PMI Professional Development Units (PDU's)
  • 22.75 CPHR Saskatchewan Continued Professional Development (CPD) Hours

Check out the funding opportunities available through the Canada-Saskatchewan Job Grant

Program Faculty

Our program instructors are top academics from the University of Saskatchewan in the areas of Industrial Relations and Human Resources. In addition to our well-qualified instructors, we will be joined by industry expert guest lecturers who will discuss special topics and contribute a balanced perspective.

• Instructor Profiles

  	Dionne Pohler, PhD, B.Comm, CPHR Dr. Dionne Pohler is an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan Edwards School of Business. She also holds the Co-operative Retailing System Chair in Co-operative Governance with the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives and is a research fellow with the Rotman Institute for Gender and the Economy. She was previously a faculty member and Acting Director at the University of Toronto Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources and vice-chair of a federal independent taskforce responsible for making recommendations on modernizing the Employment Equity Act. Dionne holds a PhD in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Alberta School of Business, a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University, and a Chartered Professional in Human Resources designation from CPHR Saskatchewan. She has been the recipient of four international research awards and her work covers topics including: unions and labour relations, organizational governance, labour and social policy, gender earnings gaps, and rural co-operative development. She edited the U.S. Labor and Employment Relations Association’s 2020 research volume Reimagining the Governance of Work and Employment, and co-edited Building Inclusive Communities in Rural Canada (2023). She holds four international research awards and three university teaching awards. Dionne was also a founding board member of Co-operatives First, a non-profit organization that helps rural and Indigenous entrepreneurs across western Canada build new co-operative businesses, grow local economies, and support development in their communities.
  	Scott Walsworth, PhD, LLM, MIRHR, BA Dr. Scott Walsworth is an Associate Professor of Industrial Relations at the Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan. Before joining the University in 2007, he completed a Ph.D. and a Masters degree in Industrial Relations at the University of Toronto.  Most recently, he completed a Master of Law (LLM) in employment and labour law at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. He is the former president of the national Canadian Industrial Relations Association (CIRA). In 2019, he began a four-year term as the Chair of the Educational Relations Board, a position created by the Saskatchewan Education Act to oversee labour relations between the province and its 17,000 teachers. Since 2020, Scott has worked as a labour arbitrator, adjudicating cases in the healthcare, public and private sectors. He was the principal investigator on a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant to investigate how, and under what circumstances, unions affect management decisions and firm outcomes, such as innovation, profits and employment growth. His work is published in several top journals including Industrial Relations (Berkeley), Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations and the International Journal of Human Resource Management. He teaches university courses on human resources, industrial relations, and labour and employment law. He muddles through life in the company of a lovely wife, four energetic sons, and two lazy cats.
  	Perry Sirota, PhD, MBA Perry Sirota is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, and organizational consultant, based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Queen's University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He divides his time equally between a thriving clinical and consulting practice, that includes; psychological assessments and consultations relating to litigation, accommodation, disability management, threats, and violence; workplace investigations and workplace conflict; and organizational consulting, coaching, training and conducting workshops. Training and workshops cover a range of topics, including workplace mental health, bullying and harassment, respectful workplaces, leadership, and substance abuse. Dr. Sirota has a special interest and extensive experience in the unionized workplace setting. Dr. Sirota also prepares psychological evaluations for courts and administrative tribunals and has testified over 400 times as an expert witness in the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, Provincial Court, Family and Youth Court, and at labour arbitrations.

   

• Message from the Program Director

  “The union-management relationship is the most important in a unionized workplace because of the profound impact it has on organizational effectiveness and employees’ lives. Building and maintaining this relationship requires finding good solutions to labour relations problems. In this program, participants develop their knowledge of what works and what doesn’t in unionized organizations, as well as the skills and tools necessary to help fix a problem or repair a relationship.” 

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  Dionne Pohler

• Past Guest Speakers
  • Bertha Greenstein, Negotiations and Labour Relations, Alberta Health Services
  • Pete Suderman, Labour Relations and Mediation, Labour Relations and Workplace Safety
  • Aaron Fornwald, Human Resources, Nutrien
  • Andy Sims, Andrew C L Sims Prof. Corp, previously Alberta Labour Relations Board
  • Dr. Richard Hurd, IRL School, Cornell University
  • Kevin Wilson, MLT Aikens LLP
  • Hanah Gasper, SGEU
  • Robert Gibbings, Sharfsten Gibbings Walen Fisher LLP
  • Hon. Don Morgan, Government of Saskatchewan
  • Hugh Wagner, Grain and General Services Union
  • Glen Billingsley, SGEU
  • Leah Schatz, Q.C., MLT Aikens LLP
  • Jordan Jakubowski, Nutrien
  • Tom Hesse, United Food and Commerical Workers