Building trust ‐ the essential ingredient in partnering to improve business results

Labatt Breweries of Canada and Local #1 London and Local #304 Toronto of the Brewery, General & Professional Workers Union recognized that building trust in a historically damaged labour management relationship required four large sequential steps. Step one was understanding the conditions required to create trust. Step two built on the conditions by revisiting past and current wounds to mutually understand and learn. Step three involved mutually defining their desired future. The fourth step, where they are now, involves ongoing open discussion and problem solving as true partners in the business while respecting each other’s role.