We also deal with the often intricate questions about how bargaining rights, once acquired, can be modified to accommodate the various changes in workplace structure and ownership. The Code contains two broad principles. The first is that employees, by demonstrating majority support, may choose to be represented by a trade union through certification. Periodically thereafter, in similar fashion, they can revoke or change that choice. The second is that once a majority of employees make that choice to certify, they can compel the employer to bargain with their union in good faith to reach a collective agreement.
Certification thus gives access to bargaining.
The decision to choose a union is not always an easy one for employees within a workplace. Some will favour the move while others will be opposed. It unsettles employers as well, because their style of operation may change with the advent of collective bargaining. The decision to revoke a union's certification is no easier. Employers must be cautious when such choices are being made, because overt support one way or the other is easily seen by nervous employees as intimidating.