You cannot negotiate over the subject of the meeting. And you do not have the right to tell workers not to answer a question or to give untrue answers. Refusal to answer questions can be a reason for discipline.

If a worker's Shop Steward is not available, another Shop Steward or Union Officer can be asked to attend. Workers also have the right to ask for a particular union representative, if both are equally available.

Here are a couple of final points to keep in mind:

• If a worker is asked to provide information about another employee, that employee also has the right to ask for a Shop Steward. This is because failing to answer could lead to disciplinary action, and therefore, the right to representation
• Management can have private conversations with workers that will not lead to discipline, issuing a warning or other disciplinary action, for example. On the other hand, workers should know that a casual conversation with a supervisor that starts harmlessly (over work, for example), but begins to lead to the possibility of trouble, can be stopped until a Shop Steward can be asked to be present.