By Chris Mangatal

Controversy around proposed labour law changes

Apr 10, 2013 | 7:00 AM

A major overhaul of Saskatchewan labour laws could be on its way.

Bill 85 aims to combine 12 pieces of legislation into one, causing concern among organized labour.

“It's being rushed, it came in just before Christmas and is going to be a law within five or six months,” said Dolores Douglas, vice-president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

“There's an advisory board, which is a good first step, but I'm sure there's some overlap and I'm sure theres some things that will be missed, that maybe weren't intended to be missed,” she said.

One of her biggest issues is how the bill affects work hours and overtime pay.

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“It says that if there's unusual or emergency circumstances, the employer can get you to stay up to 10 hours at work without any overtime pay,” she said, adding:

“It doesn't say if or how they can punish you if you refuse.”

Douglas wants the government to slow down and take a breath, because these changes affect everyone, including public, private, full and part-time employees.

“There's really been no public forum for workers in Saskatchewan to ask the government questions,” said Douglas.

“Until the law comes out and begins to be implemented and worked on we don't know how it's going to turn out. Every employer and employee could interpret it differently.”

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