Province Begins Review of Employment Standards Code

Manitoba Federation of Labour President Darlene Dziewit has welcomed the release of the Employment Standards Code (ESC) Review discussion paper, part of the provincial government's review of the Code.

Dziewit said "This is an important event in the lives of working people in Manitoba, particularly for those workers who don't belong to a union. The Employment Standards Code sets out the rules that govern conditions in most workplaces in Manitoba, and for workers without a union, it is the only thing that shields them from predatory managers.

"The vast majority of unionized workers enjoy collective agreement clauses that often exceed the Employment Standards Code by a wide margin," said Dziewit, "so it is key for the rest of the workforce that the Code is kept up to date and relevant."

The Employment Standards Code hasn't undergone a serious review since the mid-1970s, while the workplace has undergone profound changes over the same period. Full-time, permanent, long-term jobs that are relatively well paid are increasingly being replaced by mainly part-time, short term, low-paid work.

Dziewit added "Our stable workforce is being overtaken by the so-called precarious workforce made up of more vulnerable workers with little job security, few if any benefits and no long term prospects. Very often, these workers need to hold more than one job just to make ends meet. For them, this review is long overdue."

The ESC Review Discussion Paper and schedule of hearings can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/. The review commissioner poses several questions for respondents centered on coverage for agricultural workers, overtime for salaried workers and enforcement issues. But it does not address other important issues, such as plant closure issues, statutory holidays and pro-rated benefits for part-time workers.