August 28, 2008

Collective bargaining

Macivor moving on from Ontario industry secretariat

Industry body has become ‘safe haven’ for issues discussion

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

Scott Macivor is set to retire as the Ontario Construction Secretariat’s (OCS) chief executive officer but he looks forward to seeing how the organized construction industry will meet future challenges.

“I am keen to watch how the unions, as they evolve, meet future labour and immigration hurdles,” says Macivor.

“I am excited about the fact that I know, that they know, they will have to adapt and meet challenges.”

Macivor’s retirement as chief executive officer of OCS is effective Aug. 29. Macivor was hired in 1998 when the OCS board of directors decided to create a full-time staff position to deliver programs designed to support their mandate. OCS is a self-funded not-for-profit association and its research and reports on issues of common concern in ICI provide neutral data for the collective bargaining process.

Macivor was the vice-president of association management at the Toronto Real Estate Board before coming onboard at OCS.

“Overall, I am most pleased to have worked with the organized sector of ICI,” explains Macivor.

“Union, management and the government partners have been open-minded to talking about their issues.”

OCS was given a short lifespan when it was first launched in 1992, says Macivor. People gave it “between 16 to 24 months and anything after that would be bonus time,” he says.

“OCS has become a place for people to get together as a safe haven,” says Macivor.

Macivor says the commitment and support of OCS’s directors and staff and employee and employer bargaining agencies helped the secretariat secure such a strong foundation in the construction industry.

Macivor worked for 15 years with the provincial government in a variety of jobs related to skills development.

He also was the staff director of the Building Industry Strategy Board during the late 1980s.

Macivor says his almost 11 year experience with the construction industry will not just come to an end with his retirement.

“I do not envision myself retired in the traditional sense,” says Macivor. “I am keen to keep my hand in the construction industry, possibly through some consultancy work.”

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