CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - The Island’s employment standards legislation needs to be opened up for consultations to protect workers, says a member of the P.E.I. Working Group for a Livable Income.
Marie Burge was one of the speakers at a news conference in Charlottetown Tuesday where she called for a review of the province’s Employment Standards Act.
“In this media conference today we are saying, categorically, that the Employment Standards Act is seriously out of step with current realities,” she said.
The Employment Standards Act deals with workers rights and employers’ obligations to ensure employees are treated fairly.
Some of the areas it covers include wages, special leave, sexual harassment and workplace safety.
Those were also some of the areas of concern the speakers raised as they talked about what they said was a need for updated legislation.
Burge said no act is going to be opened up just because a lot of people want it.
“It does depend a lot on political will,” she said.
Along with Burge, representatives from the P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women, the P.E.I. Council of People With Disabilities and the P.E.I. Action Team for Migrant Workers Rights were also on hand.
Jillian Kilfoil with Women’s Network P.E.I. also spoke at the news conference where she raised concerns about sexual harassment in the workplace.
Kilfoil said power dynamics exist within every work environment and strong legislation is needed to mitigate the ways that power can be abused.
“We have seen recently with the emergence of the ‘Me Too’ movement that many workplaces are unsafe for women,” she said.
In a statement, Workforce Minister Sonny Gallant thanked the members of the P.E.I. Working Group for a Livable Income for their interest in wages and working conditions for Islanders.
Gallant said the government would consider a comprehensive review of the Employment Standards Act, which would involve consultations.
“I also recognize that there are current needs and we are working on amendments to update the act in the near future.”
