Author of the article: Lisa Johnson
Publishing date: Sep 23, 2022
Alberta Opposition Leader Rachel Notley is building a labour policy platform that would go beyond what her NDP government did while in office.
In a speech to a Building Trades of Alberta (BTA) convention in Jasper Tuesday, Notley said if New Democrats form government in Alberta’s next general election, they will end the practice known as “double breasting” — employing non-union workers and unionized employees in separate company branches.
The practice has been decried by labour advocates as unfair, but changes were put off during the NDP’s tenure.
Notley said at the time, there was a shortage of jobs rather than skilled labourers, and experts warned “unintended consequences” could drag the economy.
Now, she said that’s changed, adding the practice undermines union bargaining power.
“We have a shortage of skilled labor in this province and we are struggling to bring them back because of these kinds of negative pressures on wages, and double breasting is a big part of that.”
Among the slew of election-style pledges, Notley said an NDP government would immediately begin work on a construction policy that would see requirements for things like worker diversity and fair wages when government-funded projects go out to tender.
She said the specific requirements would need to be worked out in consultation, but could be modelled after a similar policy in British Columbia.
“It’s about ensuring that government procurement promotes diversity, and prioritizes local workforces, fair wages and supports strong communities,” she said, noting that New Democrats started a related pilot project near the end of their term.
“This is about scaling up from that,” she said.
While in government, the NDP overhauled labour laws, expanding worker protections and compensation measures, but many were later rolled back by the UCP.
Notley fought against those moves and is promising a string of repeals, including ensuring overtime hours are paid at time and a half, and eliminating the lower $13-per-hour youth minimum wage introduced by the UCP.
The Building Trades of Alberta represents about 60,000 workers in the skilled trades and 18 local trade unions.
Tyler Bedford, BTA’s director of communications, told Postmedia the organization is non-partisan but has been pushing all levels of government for social procurement rules, saying they would help get local people working, and help ensure that women and Indigenous apprentices get on the job.
“It’s just the right thing to do,” he said.
Bedford said the BTA is also looking forward to seeing the issue of double breasting addressed.
“(It) can really lead to a kind of competitive race to the bottom when it comes to wages,” he said.
Notley offered more dedicated funding to union shops in their training and apprenticeships efforts, beginning with $3 million, but expanding exponentially if demand is met.
The UCP government has long placed a premium on trades and apprenticeship programs, while overseeing years of budget cuts to post-secondaries like the University of Alberta.
On Friday, Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Niccolaides announced $15 million over three years to expand post-secondary apprenticeship programs.
lijohnson@postmedia.com
twitter.com/reportrix
Publishing date: Sep 23, 2022
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley speaks at Alberta Municipalities convention and trade show at Calgary Telus Convention Centre on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022.
Alberta Opposition Leader Rachel Notley is building a labour policy platform that would go beyond what her NDP government did while in office.
In a speech to a Building Trades of Alberta (BTA) convention in Jasper Tuesday, Notley said if New Democrats form government in Alberta’s next general election, they will end the practice known as “double breasting” — employing non-union workers and unionized employees in separate company branches.
The practice has been decried by labour advocates as unfair, but changes were put off during the NDP’s tenure.
Notley said at the time, there was a shortage of jobs rather than skilled labourers, and experts warned “unintended consequences” could drag the economy.
Now, she said that’s changed, adding the practice undermines union bargaining power.
“We have a shortage of skilled labor in this province and we are struggling to bring them back because of these kinds of negative pressures on wages, and double breasting is a big part of that.”
Among the slew of election-style pledges, Notley said an NDP government would immediately begin work on a construction policy that would see requirements for things like worker diversity and fair wages when government-funded projects go out to tender.
She said the specific requirements would need to be worked out in consultation, but could be modelled after a similar policy in British Columbia.
“It’s about ensuring that government procurement promotes diversity, and prioritizes local workforces, fair wages and supports strong communities,” she said, noting that New Democrats started a related pilot project near the end of their term.
“This is about scaling up from that,” she said.
While in government, the NDP overhauled labour laws, expanding worker protections and compensation measures, but many were later rolled back by the UCP.
Notley fought against those moves and is promising a string of repeals, including ensuring overtime hours are paid at time and a half, and eliminating the lower $13-per-hour youth minimum wage introduced by the UCP.
The Building Trades of Alberta represents about 60,000 workers in the skilled trades and 18 local trade unions.
Tyler Bedford, BTA’s director of communications, told Postmedia the organization is non-partisan but has been pushing all levels of government for social procurement rules, saying they would help get local people working, and help ensure that women and Indigenous apprentices get on the job.
“It’s just the right thing to do,” he said.
Bedford said the BTA is also looking forward to seeing the issue of double breasting addressed.
“(It) can really lead to a kind of competitive race to the bottom when it comes to wages,” he said.
Notley offered more dedicated funding to union shops in their training and apprenticeships efforts, beginning with $3 million, but expanding exponentially if demand is met.
The UCP government has long placed a premium on trades and apprenticeship programs, while overseeing years of budget cuts to post-secondaries like the University of Alberta.
On Friday, Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Niccolaides announced $15 million over three years to expand post-secondary apprenticeship programs.
lijohnson@postmedia.com
twitter.com/reportrix
No comments:
Post a Comment