Manager, Labour Relations

  • Full-time
  • FTE: 1.0 FTE
  • Union Status: NON UNION
  • Shift Schedule (Hours are subject to change based on operational needs): Mon-Fri – 7.5 hour day shifts
  • Employment Status: Permanent Full-time
  • Department: OT Human Resources
  • Site Location: Oakville
  • Compensation: CAD 58.769 - CAD 73.487 - hourly

Company Description

Halton Healthcare’s vision of Exemplary patient experiences, always, goes beyond just the patient experience; it has shaped our entire culture and remains at the core of every interaction in our organization, from our patients & families to our staff, physicians and volunteers.  We believe in exemplary PEOPLE experiences always!

At Halton Healthcare you will thrive in a healthcare culture and environment that embraces inclusion, diversity and belonging with ‘exemplary patient care, always’ at the heart of everything we do.

We empower our people to be the very best they can be so they can make a difference for our patients and the communities we serve.

Halton Healthcare takes great pride in providing quality, compassionate healthcare services to our rapidly growing communities. As a progressive and vibrant healthcare organization, we are committed to being an innovative center of excellence in community hospital care.

Job Description

Reporting to the Director, Human Resources & Equity, the Manager, Labour Relations leads a team of labour relations professionals in a complex, multi-union healthcare environment, and plays a key role in collective bargaining, grievance and arbitration management, HR policy development, and legislative compliance.  This role is critical to advancing collaborative union–management relationships, ensuring consistent interpretation of collective agreements, and supporting leaders in managing risk, conflict, and change.

Key Accountabilities:

Labour Relations Strategy & Team Leadership

  • In collaboration with the Director, lead the execution of the organization’s labour relations strategy aligned with corporate priorities, including risk management and dispute resolution.
  • Build and maintain constructive, solutions‑focused relationships with union partners.
  • Ensure consistent and equitable application of collective agreements, related legislation and best practices across all programs and sites.
  • Lead, coach, and develop a team of labour relations professionals.
  • Design and deliver education and tools to build leader capability in managing unionized environments.

Collective Bargaining

  • Act as Hospital Spokesperson in local collective bargaining processes providing strategic and subject-matter expertise, and lead preparation through research, costing, data validation, and proposal development.
  • Monitor external settlements, arbitration awards, legislative changes, and labour market trends to inform bargaining strategy.
  • Support post‑bargaining implementation, ensuring consistent application across the organization.

Grievance, Arbitration & Dispute Resolution

  • Manage the full grievance process, including ensuring best practices in investigation, response and resolution, working in collaboration with the team, and HR Business Partners.
  • Assess legal and operational risk, and recommend appropriate settlement strategies.
  • Represent the organization in mediation and arbitration proceedings, including partnering with external legal counsel and support the preparation of arbitration briefs.
  • Conduct or oversee complex workplace investigations involving workplace violence, harassment, discrimination, and other policy breaches.
  • Partner with external legal counsel on complex matters, including dismissals, human rights complaints, and other litigated matters.
  • Support other negotiations and settlement discussions, with a focus on risk mitigation and cost containment.

HR Policy, Compliance & Legislation

  • Lead the interpretation, development, and updating of HR policies to ensure alignment with legislation, collective agreements, and organizational practices.
  • Monitor legislative and regulatory changes and support organization‑wide implementation.
  • Provide guidance on emerging labour trends and complex compliance issues.
  • Track internal trends and recommend preventative actions to senior leadership.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
  • CHRL designation preferred.
  • Minimum 7 years of progressive labour relations experience in a complex, multi‑union environment; healthcare experience is an asset.
  • Demonstrated expertise in collective agreement interpretation, grievance and arbitration processes, workplace investigations, and dispute resolution.
  • Strong working knowledge of Ontario labour and employment legislation, including the Labour Relations Act, Employment Standards Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, and Human Rights Code.
  • Proven ability to provide strategic, risk‑informed advice to leaders on sensitive and high‑impact matters.
  • Strong negotiation, mediation, and facilitation skills with a track record of building effective union–management relationships.
  • Excellent analytical, communication, and judgment skills, with a high degree of discretion and political acuity.
  • Demonstrated experience leading and developing staff in a specialized labour relations function.

Additional Information

Hours: Monday to Friday - 37.5 hours per week with ability to flex schedule as required by operational needs.

Halton Healthcare is an equal opportunity employer who is committed to integrating diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our operations, policies and culture. If you are passionate about what you do, motivated by a job well done, and as committed to excellence, quality and patient satisfaction as we are, we'd like to hear from you. Please attach your current resume directly to this posting.

Please note that while this job is posted on Halton Healthcare's career page, it may also appear on third-party job boards.  These external platforms may use automated tools, including artificial intelligence, for candidate screening and matching.  We do not control or influence these processes.  To ensure your application is reviewed by our team, we recommend applying directly through our Halton Healthcare careers site.  

We thank all those who apply but only those individuals selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Halton Healthcare is committed to providing accommodations for applicants with disabilities.  In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Halton Healthcare will provide accommodations throughout the recruitment and selection process. If you require an accommodation, we will work with you to meet your accommodation needs to ensure your equal participation.

The Ontario Public Hospitals Act mandates that hospitals establish health surveillance programs for all individuals working within the hospital. This regulation requires proof of immunity for certain diseases and as a result, Halton Healthcare requires all new hires to receive pre-employment medical clearance by our Health, Safety & Wellness team, prior to their start date, as a condition of employment.  This includes demonstrating compliance with Halton Healthcare’s Immunization Policies.

All new hires must be fully compliant with our Vaccination Policy as a condition of employment with Halton Healthcare.  Successful applicants will be required to provide proof of vaccination or proof of a documented medical exemption as part of the hiring process.

All personal information is collected under the authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

 

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