For immediate release
June 18, 2020
NDP pushes for commitments to change labour legislation to protect workers
Today the NDP Caucus continued to push government to act on improving labour legislation and worker protections, including the right to fair collective bargaining.
Two months ago, NDP Leader Alison Coffin called for legislation to amend the Labour Standards Act and the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act and Regulations to provide guaranteed paid sick leave and paid emergency leave for all workers, elimination of doctor’s notes, better overtime pay, and workers’ compensation for all workers who become sick because of COVID-19.
Coffin says the NDP wants seven paid sick days and 14 paid emergency leave days guaranteed for every worker, as well as a requirement for overtime pay to be 1.5 times a worker’s hourly wage, and not the current 1.5 times the minimum wage.
Today in Question Period, Coffin asked the Minister “will he work with the Federation of Labour to make the changes to Labour Standards and Workers’ Compensation legislation stipulated by the federal government as a condition of their budgetary contribution to our province?”
Jordan Brown (MHA, Labrador West) asked the Minister of Labour, “will he protect our workers from multinational companies’ ‘union busting’ tactics and bring forward anti-replacement worker legislation?”
Since the Voisey’s Bay strike that sparked an Industrial Inquiry a decade ago, the NDP Caucus has been calling for government to introduce anti-replacement worker legislation to protect workers’ right to fair collective bargaining.
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For further information, contact Zaren Healey White, Director of Communications, NDP Caucus at 729-2137 (o), 693-9172 (c), or zarenhealeywhite@gov.nl.ca