05) SASKATCHEWAN LABOUR RIGHTS UNDER FIRE

PV Manitoba Bureau

     The irony of asking workers how to better regulate their limited rights at a time of complete lawlessness by the corporations, banks and wealthy seems totally lost on the government of Saskatchewan.

     The process to review every labour law is deeply flawed. Premier Brad Wall's government allowed only ninety days for people to comment. There were no public hearings.

     Few people bothered to participate. About 2,000 groups or people made a submission, including the Communist Party (see box). Replying to the CPC's letter, Premier Brad Wall's office explained that the review's aim is to "modernize, simplify and amalgamate labour legislation as well as explore the creation of a Saskatchewan Employment Code."

     "We'll see what come out the other end this fall," said Darrell Rankin. His letter for the Party's trade union commission calls the review "a thinly‑veiled effort to set the stage for a massive attack on unions and workers' rights."

     The official opposition NDP's submission focuses only on the flawed process, yet they are holding their own hearings across the province over 20 days (and accepting internet and mail submissions for an undeclared period).

     "What we thought was we'd do our own consultations," provincial NDP president Cory Oxelgren said. "The party wanted to do something in parallel, so we're doing a website to get some people's opinions and lay it out there."

(The above article is from the September 1-15, 2012, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)