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“Working people and their families have a right to know how their lives may be affected by new labour laws.” - Bob Bymoen, SGEU President.
Regina (06 March 2013) – The government’s single-minded determination to rush passage of the proposed Saskatchewan Employment Act suggests that many of the planned changes would not stand up to public scrutiny, according to the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union (SGEU/NUPGE).
Premier Wall has publicly stated that the legislation will pass this spring, despite concerns that this does not give Saskatchewan people enough time to adequately respond to this sweeping overhaul of all of the province’s labour legislation.
“The amount of information in the draft legislation is so massive that only a handful of people in the province would have had an opportunity to review and understand the implications of what is being proposed,” says SGEU President Bob Bymoen. “Working people and their families have a right to know how their lives may be affected by new labour laws.”
“It appears that government is trying to avoid a full public discussion on the proposed changes because it would become obvious that working families are going to lose many longstanding rights and benefits,” he says.
“We have only had a few months to analyze Bill 85, and what we have come to realize is that this legislation will upset the balance in workplaces, remove protections for workers and give employers new powers to set rules that may not be in the best interests of employees,” says Bymoen.
“The eight-hour work day, overtime pay and the principle of Sunday as a common day of rest are all up for grabs. Many workers will lose the right to belong to a union of their choice,” he says.
“We need a healthy, informed and wide-ranging public conversation about the rules that govern our working lives. Why jeopardize the fairness and stability we have all come to rely on in Saskatchewan because the government refuses to allow time for proper review and oversight of Bill 85?” asks Bymoen.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE