Labour and Employee Relations Specialist

IKO Industries Ltd. is a market leader in the manufacturing of roofing and building materials. IKO is a Canadian owned and operated business with production facilities worldwide and has many years of unparalleled success in the roofing materials industry. Quality, integrity, and trustworthiness are the values that underlie this success, and we have built this company by hiring people who hold these values. People like you!
 

Job Description

Labour & Employee Relations Specialist

Position Summary

The Labour & Employee Relations Specialist is a trusted advisor to leaders, Human Resources Business Partners, and operational stakeholders in a unionized environment. This role is responsible for providing expert guidance on collective agreement administration, grievance management, workplace investigations, employee relations matters, progressive discipline, attendance management, and conflict resolution.

Working closely with union representatives and business leaders, the Labour & Employee Relations Specialist helps foster positive labour-management relationships, mitigates organizational risk, and ensures compliance with collective agreements, employment legislation, and company policies.

Key Responsibilities

Labour Relations

• Interpret and administer collective agreements to ensure consistent application of terms, conditions, and workplace practices.
• Provide advice and guidance to leaders on labour relations matters, including discipline, attendance management, accommodation, seniority, job postings, and contract interpretation.
• Lead and support grievance management, including investigation, response preparation, resolution discussions, and arbitration support.
• Partner with union representatives to resolve workplace issues and maintain positive labour-management relationships.
• Support collective bargaining preparation through data analysis, research, and proposal development.

Employee Relations

• Support workplace investigations involving unionized employee complaints, policy violations, harassment, discrimination, and workplace misconduct.
• Provide recommendations on corrective actions and risk mitigation strategies.
• Coach leaders on performance management, progressive discipline, conflict resolution, and employee engagement.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with employment standards, labour legislation, human rights obligations, workplace policies, and collective agreements.
• Assess and mitigate legal labour and employee relations risks through proactive consultation and sound recommendations.
• Prepare and maintain confidential case files, investigation reports, grievance documentation, and arbitration materials.
• Monitor legislative and labour relations developments and recommend policy or process improvements.

Stakeholder Support

• Deliver training to leaders and HR teams on labour relations, contract administration, investigations, performance management, and conflict resolution.
• Partner with HR and business leaders to support organizational initiatives and workforce strategies within a unionized environment.
• Develop tools, resources, and best practices to strengthen management capability and promote consistent labour relations practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Labour Studies, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in Labour Relations, Employee Relations, or Human Resources within a unionized environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing grievances, workplace investigations, progressive discipline, and collective agreement interpretation.
• Strong knowledge of labour legislation, employment standards, human rights legislation, and arbitration processes.
• Experience partnering with union representatives and supporting labour-management committees.
• Excellent analytical, conflict resolution, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to manage multiple complex cases and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• CHRP, CHRL, or related designation is considered an asset.

Benefits of Employment: IKO recognizes that its success is due to the strength of its employees. A primary goal of IKO is to promote individual employee's sense of accomplishment and contribution so that employees enjoy their association with IKO. The Company invests in its employees so that they are the most knowledgeable in the industry, and undertakes great efforts to nurture loyalty to, and teamwork at, IKO. We are pleased to offer competitive compensation, health care, a progressive and challenging workplace and a commitment to teamwork and integrity.
 

Diversity and Equal Opportunity Employment: IKO Industries Ltd. is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to diversity and inclusion and are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability. IKO Industries Ltd. encourages and welcomes applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.