PART V CONCILIATION PROCEEDINGS — Appointment of conciliation officer

collective bargaining has not begun within the time prescribed by this Act; or

collective bargaining has begun, and either party requests the minister in writing to instruct a conciliation officer to confer with the parties to help them in concluding a collective agreement or a renewal or revision of it and the request is accompanied by a statement of the difficulties that have been encountered before the beginning or in the course of the collective bargaining, or where, in another case, the minister considers it desirable to do so, the minister may instruct one or more conciliation officers to confer with the parties engaged in collective bargaining.

Except with the consent of the minister and notwithstanding a law to the contrary, a conciliation officer or a member of the staff of the board shall not be required to give in evidence before a court, tribunal, board, commission or conciliation board, or before another body or person, information that he or she has received in the course of his or her duty as a conciliation officer or as a member of the staff of the board.