Bill 85 will affect every worker in Saskatchewan. Unionized workers and employers in the province rely heavily on the agreed upon words in a collective agreement. Those words make up the playing field and act as a guide for minimizing conflict in the workplace. The same is true of the Saskatchewan labour legislation that currently governs; it should be agreed upon language that both parties find clear and fair. The language in Bill 85 is even unclear about matters that should be crystal clear, like will I get two consecutive days off in a week, will I get a lunch break or will I get paid overtime if I have already worked eight hours? Why scrap the current legislation that pertains to the working conditions in the province and replace them with a bill that is ambiguous and confusing? If the words are unclear about my days off, my lunch breaks and overtime, it makes me wonder if I will be at the beck and call of the employer on a day-to-day basis.The definition of "employee" is also changed significantly and could potentially harm workers as they may be denied the right to collectively bargain. The current definition can only be described as "similar" to all definitions of employee found in other Western Canadian provinces' (Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba) labour legislation. So why the need for such big change?This new law was written with very little consultation with workers. I saw one little ad in our weekly paper. The consultation papers took hours to fill out and were very complicated. The normal working person in this province did not even know about the consultation process. This bill will seriously affect every worker in Saskatchewan.I would like the government to know that I should be valued as a worker in the province. I grew up in Saskatchewan and I contribute in my community where I live and raised my family. Please stop destroying my rights and protections. I do not want my working conditions worsened.
