The makeover of B.C. employment standards is a work in progress, the NDP says
VICTORIA — The New Democrats moved Monday to strengthen employment standards, saying those were deliberately weakened and laxly enforced under the previous B.C. Liberal government.
Rectifying that outrage, Bill 8, the Employment Standards Amendment Act, would raise the age that a child can work to 16 from the current 12.Exemptions would allow 14 and 15 year olds “to perform light work that is safe for the health and development, such as stocking shelves at a grocery store.” The most ambitious changes in the bill would toughen the enforcement side, making the employment standards branch proactive in investigating workplaces as well as continuing to respond to individual complaints.
Far from making it easier to file complaints, Bains says it acted as an obstacle to doing so. Witness the halving of complaints in the years after the B.C. Liberals brought it in. This makeover of employment standards is a work in progress, said Bains. The latest changes, covering child workers, leaves of absence, recovery of wages and strengthening the branch itself, were regarded as the most in need of attention.
Though employment standards are crafted for the majority of workers who are not represented by trade unions, the unions have nevertheless taken a lead role in lobbying for strengthening the Act. The point being that employment standards establish a “floor” for wages, benefits, and other provisions governing the work place.
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