Labour

The foundations of Saskatchewan are the foundations of social justice. This includes strong support for safe workplaces and fair treatment for workers.

I am a strong supporter of the labour movement. The right to unionize has been the source of many of our social advances and continues to protect workers and their families from unfair practices. In tough economic times a functioning labour movement becomes even more essential as workers need to stick together to ensure their rights are not eroded.

The most recent changes in the Saskatchewan labour environment are the controversial Bills 5 and 6 introduced by the Sask Party government.

Under the guise of protecting public safety, Bill 5, the essential services legislation, is clearly designed to limit the rights of public sector workers, such as healthcare workers, to strike. It is unclear that any such legislation was needed. What union would risk its good name by asking its workers to endanger public safety? Bill 5 also assumes the worst of workers, imagining that health care workers would abandon sick patients in a time of need; a very unlikely scenario. I work with nurses. I know this would not happen. The suggestion that it would is an insult to the profession.

Studies by both the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the CD Howe Institute have shown that essential services legislation is not only ineffective but outright counterproductive, resulting in greater likelihood of work disruptions and longer-lasting disruptions in jurisdictions with essential services legislation.

In the absence of a clear justification for the introduction of essential services legislation, one can only conclude that it was introduced for narrow, ideological reasons designed to remove a key bargaining tool from public sector workers.

Bill 6 is directed more at private sector workers. In this segment of the workforce, unions are often faced with different challenges. The changes to the Trade Union Act that Bill 6 entails make it far more difficult for workers to organize. Employers are at greater liberty to interfere with organization. The certification process has been made less democratic. These changes will effectively decrease the likelihood of new unionization in the private sector.

The question is, why did the Sask Party government think they could get away with it? The Sask Party may be ideologically anti-union, they may have felt the need to repay key backers, but they aren’t politically suicidal. What has happened that makes this type of legislation feasible and even popular?

Anti-union sentiment, particularly in certain business and media circles, is not a new thing. This concentrated public relations effort has convinced many people that they don’t need to organize, that they’ll be just fine without a union. We know, however, that the greatest advances for workers have been made when they band together to work for better conditions, for weekends,for pay equity, for the dignity of work. We need to confront anti-union messaging head-on. We need to find new ways to reach out to the public.

We’ve never seen a government more committed to rolling back workers’ rights. They must face a movement more committed than ever to stand up for workers. Under these circumstances, the NDP and the labour movement are in much the same boat. We need to renew ourselves, increase democracy in our party, our province, our workplaces and unions, and speak out for workers’ rights. The stakes are too high to do otherwise.

My question is, how can I as leader and the New Democratic Party as a whole work with the labour movement to make it more relevant and effective to working people? How can we help labour to be of more service to its members and the rest of the population?

Along with repealing the aforementioned contentious laws, Bill 5 and 6, I would also work toward the creation of proactive pay equity legislation. Saskatchewan is one of only three provinces with no pay equity legislation. The 2004 Canadian Department of Justice report gave recommendations for national proactive pay equity legislation that applies to all people, including women, people of colour, Aboriginal people and people with disabilities. These recommendations have been ignored at the federal level but would be easily enacted here in Saskatchewan.

Perhaps more importantly, as leader I would listen, engaging in transparent, productive discussions with union leaders, business leaders, workers and citizens to work together for healthier relations and a better environment for business and labour alike.

Dream Big

Make sure that a minimum wage is always a living wage by indexing it to the Low Income Cut Off. This year the last of the minimum wage increases introduced by the previous government will be enacted. This will bring minimum wage to $9.25 per hour, equal to the Low Income Cut Off for the first time in our history: a truly living wage for those working full-time. However, unless indexed to inflation, this progress will be eroded over time. To make a healthy Saskatchewan, working people must be able afford the necessities of life, adequate food and shelter. We can index minimum wage to the LICO to provide Saskatchewan workers a long-term living wage.