Vol. 104 No. 20
Box 40, 102 3rd Ave West, Biggar, Saskatchewan S0K 0M0
THURSDAY,, MAY 16, 2013
email: tip@sasktel.net
24 pages
Phone: 306-948-3344
$1.25
www.biggarindependent.ca
New labour legislation for Saskatchewan
T
he Saskatchewan Employment Act (Bill 85) passed third and final reading in the Legislative Assembly, Monday. The Act consolidates 12 pieces of labour legislation into one updated and comprehensive Act that protects workers, promotes growth and increases accountability. “I want to thank all the people and organizations who made submissions and the members of the Minister’s Advisory Committee for their i n p u t a n d c a n d o u r,” Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan said. “The new Act includes house amendments that are the result of our consultative process. As a result, we now have an even better Act that is fair to employees, employers and unions.” The amendments include: • Creation of three a d d i t i o n a l l e av e s ( i n addition to the two created in the original act for organ donation and to attend a citizenship ceremony) for critically ill child care leave, crimerelated child death and disappearance leaves and waiving of the four-week notice requirement as notice may not be possible or appropriate to require; • Providing part-time employees with overtime for all hours worked in excess of eight hours in a day. This is in recognition that part-time workers do not enjoy the benefits of a modified work arrangement (days off); • Clarification that employees are entitled to overtime where the daily maximum hours established by their work schedule are exceeded. The two schedules provided for in the legislation include hours in excess of eight hours in a day or 10 hours in a day; • Addition of the definition of “emergency circumstance” to mean a situation where there is an
imminent risk or danger to a person, property or the employer’s business that could not have been foreseen by the employer; • Requiring employees to provide two weeks written notice of their intention to leave their jobs; • Clarification of the definition of “employee” to make it clear that employees whose primary duties are confidential in nature and directly impact the bargaining unit cannot belong to a union; • Amending the definition of “supervisory employee” to clarify that the primary duties are to be supervisory in nature; • Requiring that good faith negotiations occur prior to ordering a last offer vote; and • Requiring unions to provide an audited financial statement to its members and provide unaudited financial statements for each bargaining unit to the members of the unit; as well as allowing the unions to provide this information in various means including electronically, posted in the workplace, mailed to the employee; personally given to the employee; or provided on a secure Web site. The new Act also contains provisions that include: • Indexation of the minimum wage; • Provisions to protect individuals searching for work from mistreatment and fraud perpetrated by unscrupulous recruitment service providers; • While maintaining the 40 hour work week, two work arrangements will be permitted in the legislation - eight hours per day for five days per week or 10 hours per day for four days per week. This is consistent with other jurisdictions in Western Canada; • Reduction of the qualification period for maternity, parental and adoption leave from 20 weeks to 13 weeks of service; and • Recognition that no individual or group may be compensated differently on the grounds of any prohibition identified within The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code. The Public Service
Essential Services Act is not yet included in the new legislation. This Act was recently upheld by
the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. “Essential services will
Sniper School . . . Biggar Gun Range’s Dwight Smith, left, gives a few tips to Will Auton as he prepares to send some downrange, Friday. The shooting clinic was held at the gun range prior to the provincial qualifier the following day where over 60 shooters took aim with .22
be added to the new Act in the fall, which will provide our government time to
seek input and address concerns about the current legislation,” Morgan said.
and shotgun, some competitors splitting their time with the Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Association stop at the Biggar Rec Valley. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Seeding begins for province Warm and favourable area. Many fields are still 40 per cent surplus, 58 per cent short. Farmers are busy calving, w e a t h e r h a s a l l o w e d wet, although warm and cent adequate and two per seeding to begin in parts windy weather has helped cent short. Hay land and cleaning seed, preparing pasture topsoil moisture is machinery, doing preof southwestern and west- to dry some of them. central Saskatchewan Provincially, cropland 28 per cent surplus, 68 per seeding field work and t h i s w e e k , a c c o r d i n g topsoil moisture is rated as cent adequate and four per starting to seed. to Saskatchewan A g r i c u l t u r e ’s We e k l y C r o p Report for the April 30 to May 6 period. However, the majority of producers are waiting for the soil to dry before they can begin seeding. A snowstorm b r o u g h t significant precipitation to some parts of the province last Tuesday that has further delayed field work. This week’s precipitation ranged from trace amounts Calm before the dust flies . . . Biggar cowboy, Buck Peters takes it all in prior to taking to almost two his turn in the senior tie down roping event, Saturday. The Biggar Rec Valley was filled with inches in the competitors from around the province as the Saskatchewan High School Rodeo Association put e a s t - c e n t r a l on a terrific show. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)