N.S. unions vote unanimously to stop misuse of NDAs

In a groundbreaking vote, the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour and its member unions vowed to pressure the government to pass legislation aimed at misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in the workplace.

Some 70,000 workers at more than 350 union locals across the province made history by voting to end the misuse of NDAs.

Through two resolutions at its annual convention, the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour says members voted to lobby government to ban NDAs used to silence victims of sexual harassment, discrimination and similar means of abuse in work environments.

“If we are ever going to change the culture about abuse, about discrimination and sexual abuse and those kinds of things, then we need to be talking about it,” Nova Scotia Federation of Labour president Danny Cavanugh tells CityNews Halifax. “And people that are victims of those things in the workplace need to be able to speak out.”

According to a release from the organization, the vote follows the provincial government’s announcement in September that it would not pass legislation to end the misuse of NDAs, without explaining why.

Cavanagh says that until legislation is passed, it is up to its each member union to decide how to navigate the use of non-disclosure agreements in their own workplaces.

He adds a growing number of unions are pushing back against employers who use NDAs, also known as gag orders or confidentiality agreements.