When it comes to Saskatchewan's new labour laws, a lot of people ask: Why should I care about it? I'm not in a union.
In fact, the majority of working people in this province aren't unionized, although you might be surprised how many are.
Add up the teachers, police, hospital staff and government employees in your community plus those working potash mines, manufacturing and elsewhere in the private sector and the numbers total over 100,000 in this province.
It is such unionized people that many assume are most impacted by the new Saskatchewan Employment Act, the new legislation condensing a dozen labour laws into one, that will addresses many union workplace issues like labour relations, collective bargaining, essential services.
For example, one of the many, many changes in the new law takes away a union's ability to automatically garnish the wages of a member that crosses a picket line during a strike. Upon passage of this legislation, unions will have to take any such worker to small claims court to settle the matter, a seemingly better conclusion than having the ability to simply take away a person's pay with that person having no recourse.
Similarly, other changes will mean that certain "supervisor employees" may no longer be considered part of the union because they have authority over fellow union members.
Another change will give those dissatisfied with a having a union in their workplace the ability to petition to "decertify" one year after the last attempt to decertify the workplace. And unions will have to be more accountable to members with audited financial statements, a change that the union leadership grumbles isn't necessarily applied to other professional organizations or stakeholder group in which membership dues are required.
But while we could go on at great length discussing changes specifically impacting union membership, we would be missing a very important point.
Labour laws aren't just for unions. They affect everyone. In fact, there are likely more changes in the new 186-page bill effecting people not in unions than there are changes aimed at people in unions.
For example, Labour Minister Don Morgan placed considerable emphasis on issues most effecting workers that are normally thought of as disadvantaged.
There will now be a minimum wage increase each year tied to the inflation rate (although cabinet still has the right to approve or disapprove of this increase). Not only does this have an impact on low-end workers, but also on those businesses that hire them. In fact, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says it would have strongly preferred ending income tax for minimum-wage earners instead. The CFIB also advocated a separate minimum wage class for those in the service industry whose salary may be supplemented by tips.
The new labour law will prohibit wage discrimination for those that are mentally or physically disabled or for any reason that would deemed to be discriminatory under the Human Rights Act. It will extend additional rights for immigrant workers, although it should be noted that agriculture workers would continue to be exempt from the employment standards.
Changes will make it easier for employers to implement four, 10-hour work days in a week instead of the traditional five, eight-hour days, a change the government insists most workers usually like and want, but one that could make some workers less happy. Overtime will continue to be paid after 40 hours, although work arrangements or permits could change that.
Employers breaching occupational health and safety regulations will see fines increased from the current maximum $300,000 to as much as $500,000 for individuals and $1.5 million for corporations for the most serious violations.
There will still be 10 statutory holiday days each year and a minimum three-weeks holiday each year (or four weeks after 10 years).
So as you see, labour laws aren't just for union members.
The province's new labour law will affect all of us in one way or another.
