Friday, December 10, 2004
[IWS] CANADA: Weekly Work Report 6 December 2004
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
(The following is courtesy of the Centre for Industrial Relations, University of Toronto).
Weekly Work Report for the Week of December 6, 2004
These highlights of the week's HR/IR news are prepared by the Librarians at the Centre for Industrial Relations for our subscribers, alumni, faculty and students, and are intended for their individual use only. Please visit the CIR website for terms of use and information about organizational subscriptions. This message is composed in MS Outlook Express and contains hyperlinks that require an HTML-enabled email program.
The WWR is protected by Canadian copyright law and should not be reproduced or forwarded without permission. For inquiries or comments, please contact the Editor, elizabeth.perry@utoronto.ca.
----------
HARRY ARTHURS TO LEAD THE REVIEW OF CANADAÂS LABOUR CODE: On December 2, CanadaÂs Minister of Labour and Housing announced the appointment of Harry Arthurs as the commissioner of a review of federal labour standards contained in Part III of the Canada Labour Code. The advisory panel that will support the commission will include business and labour representatives, as well as experts Sherry Liang, an adjudicator with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario; Daphne Taras, Associate Dean of the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary; and Gilles Trudeau, Professor at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Law. The final report and recommendations are to be submitted to the Minister by January 2006.
Professor Arthurs is President Emeritus and University Professor at York University, and a former Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School. Professor Arthurs will deliver the 2005 Sefton Lecture on January 19, 2005 at the University of Toronto Faculty Club. The Sefton Lecture is sponsored by the Centre for Industrial Relations and Woodsworth College, and is open to the public.
LINKS:
Press release from HRSDC at <http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/hrsd/news/2004/041202.shtml>
Brief biography of Harry Arthurs in honour of his 2003 Bora Laskin Award at <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cir/aboutcir/borlaskinawardwinners/arthurs2003.html>
----------
AMENDMENTS TO SASKATCHEWAN TRADE UNION ACT: On November 19th the Saskatchewan government introduced amendments to the Trade Union Act. The most significant change is aimed at ensuring that first collective agreements are settled within a reasonable time. Under the new legislation the parties must begin bargaining within 20 days of certification of the bargaining unit, and either party can request assistance in reaching an agreement 90 days after the date of certification.
LINKS:
Saskatchewan government press release at <http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2004/11/19-729.html>
and Backgrounder (2 pages, PDF) at <http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2004/11/19-729-attachment.pdf>
Bill 87, an Act to amend the Trade Union Act (8 pages, PDF) at <http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/bills/PDFs/bill-87.pdf>
----------
COMPASSIONATE CARE BENEFITS FOR NEWFOUNDLANDERS: On November 23rd the Newfoundland government introduced Bill 38, an amendment to the Labour Standards Act, to incorporate a system of compassionate care leave for an employee to provide care or support to a family member who has a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks. The Bill would introduce the same employment protection for as exists in Newfoundland for pregnancy, adoption and parental leave.
LINKS:
Bill 38, An act to amend the Labour Standards Act (5 pages, HTML) at the Newfoundland government website at <http://www.gov.nf.ca/hoa/bills/Bill0438.htm>
----------
UPDATE ON MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES: Minimum wage levels will increase as of January 1, 2005 in New Brunswick (from $6.20 to $6.30 per hour) and Prince Edward Island (from $6.50 to $6.80 per hour). OntarioÂs minimum wages will increase on February 1, following a schedule of annual increases until 2007. The general minimum wage in Ontario moves from $7.15 to $7.45 per hour in 2005, with other increases in all categories. In Quebec, the general minimum wage increases from $7.45 to $7.60 on May 1, 2005. In Manitoba, December 1 was the deadline for stakeholder input to the Minister on changes to the minimum wage for 2006 and beyond; annual increases are scheduled each April in Manitoba, with the current level of $7 per hour reached in April 2004.
LINKS:
Ontario FAQÂs about the Employment Standards Act <http://www.gov.on.ca/LAB/english/es/factsheets/fs_faq.html>
Quebec Labour Standards at <http://www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca/en/normes/salaire.asp>
----------
REDUCTION IN EI CONTRIBUTION RATE EFFECTIVE JAN. 1, 2005:
On December 6, the federal government announced a reduction in the employment insurance contribution rate, effective January 1, 2005. For employees at the maximum insurable earnings level, contributions will drop from the 2004 level of $1.98 per $100 of insurable earnings to $1.95. For employers, the change will be from $2.77 to $2.73 per $100 of insurable earnings. Maximum insurable earnings will remain at $39,000 for 2005. This is the smallest decrease in premiums in the last 11 years, when the government began the practice of annual reductions.
CanadaÂs Auditor General reported to a House subcommittee on November 4, 2004 that the surplus in the Employment Insurance Account stood at $46 billion on March 31, 2004, which exceeds by three times the maximum reserve considered sufficient by the chief actuary of Human Resources Development Canada in 2001.
LINKS:
Department of Finance press release at <http://www.fin.gc.ca/news04/04-074e.html>
Opening statement to the Subcommittee on the Employment Insurance Funds of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development Canada at <http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/other.nsf/html/04hrsub01_e.html>
Employers premiums cut by 4 cents in 2005 (Dec. 7) at Workopolis at <http://www.workopolis.com/servlet/Content/fasttrack/20041207/REIRATE07?section=Insurance>
----------
88% OF CANADIAN EMPLOYERS HOSTING HOLIDAY PARTIES: Hewitt Associates has recently published a survey of holiday season human resource practices. The 2004 Holiday Bonuses and Gifts Survey found that 33 % of organizations will be providing holiday bonuses of some sort. Of these organizations, 45 % will be giving gift certificates, 32 % cash and 21% a food item. Corporate parties remain popular: 88 % of employers will be hosting a party for their employees and 69 % will be hosting a childrenÂs party for families of their employees. 117 employers were included in the survey.
LINKS:
Press release and summary at the Hewitt website: <http://was4.hewitt.com/hewitt/resource/newsroom/pressrel/2004/12-01-04_eng.htm>
----------
BOMBARDIER LAYOFFS IN RAIL DIVISION: On December 1, Bombardier announced that it will eliminate 2,200 jobs at its rail division; 500 jobs will be cut in Canada, including 350 in La Pocatiere, Que., and 150 in Thunder Bay, Ont. The other job cuts will be concentrated in Germany and the United Kingdom, although 14 countries will be affected, according to the Bombardier press release. The latest restructuring news will bring the total job reductions worldwide to 7,600 (21% of its workforce) by April 2006. 7,300 of these are permanent jobs.
No job cuts were announced in the aerospace division this time around, although 2,000 jobs were cut there in October 2004. On November 30th, the CAW released a number of proposals for a industrial strategy for CanadaÂs aerospace industry, including an integrated Canadian industrial plan for the Bombardier C-series jet project, modeled on the European experience with Airbus. The report also proposed the creation of a Canadian Aerospace Development Council to bring together the industryÂs stakeholders.
LINKS:
Bombardier Transportation division press release at <http://www.bombardier.com/index.jsp?id=0_0&lang=en&file=/en/0_0/0_0_1_7/0_0_1_7.html>
ÂBombardier turnaround still on track, Tellier insists in the Globe and Mail (Dec. 2) at <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20041202/RBOMBARDIER02/TPBusiness/?query=bombardier>
Staying aloft: a sector strategy for CanadaÂs aerospace industry (54 pages, PDF) <http://www.caw.ca/whoweare/CAWpoliciesandstatements/discussionpapers/pdf/StayingAloft.pdf>
----------
HOW IS THE HIGH CANADIAN DOLLAR AFFECTING THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR? : A new report by CAW economist Jim Stanford projects that CanadaÂs manufacturing industry will lose over 400,000 jobs by 2007 if the Canadian dollar remains at 85 cents (U.S.) The study compares the impact of the current appreciation of the Canadian dollar to what happened from 1986 to 1991 and argues: ÂIf anything, the evidence to date suggests that the fallout of this appreciation will be worse than what we experienced in the early 1990s.Â
The Labour Force survey for November 2004, released by Statistics Canada on December 3, shows a national unemployment rate of 7.3%, up by 0 .2 percentage points. Manufacturing employment fell by 18,000 in November and has lost 52,000 jobs since July (mostly in Ontario). The Statistics Canada explanation: ÂCanadian manufacturers are facing challenges as the Canadian dollar has strengthened relative to the US dollar and is at its highest value in over a decade. Also a concern to manufacturers is the soaring price of crude oil and its impact on production costs.Â
The annual wage and salary survey conducted in 2004 for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association by Mercer Human Resource consulting also acknowledges the impact of the high dollar on labour costs. The survey found marked geographic salary differentials, with gaps as wide as 25% between the highest paying areas such as Fort McMurray, Alberta and the lowest paying areas in the Maritimes. Salaries in the GTA were 5% above the national average.
LINKS:
DollarÂs rise will exact painful toll on Canadian manufacturing (12 pages, PDF) at the CAW website at <http://www.caw.ca/whatwedo/research/pdf/Dollarsrisepainfultolldec04.pdf>
Labour Force Survey, November 2004 at the Statistics Canada website at <http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Labour/LFS/lfs-en.htm>
ÂJob growth curtailed by factory layoffs in the Globe and Mail (Dec. 4) at <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20041204/RECONO04/TPBusiness/?query=unemployment>
Manufacturing sector salaries reflect disparity of regional economies (news release) (3 pages, PDF) at the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters website at <http://www.cme-mec.ca/pdf/mercer_e.pdf>
Bank of Canada leaves interest rate unchanged at the CBC website at <http://www.cbc.ca/story/business/national/2004/12/07/bankrate-041207.html>
Bank of Montreal North American Outlook December 2004 (11 pages, PDF) at <http://www.bmo.com/economic/regular/month.html>
----------
121 St. George St., Toronto, Canada M5S 2E8 <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cir>
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky *
Director, IWS News Bureau *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor *
New York, NY 10016 *
*
Telephone: (607) 255-2703 *
Fax: (607) 255-9641 *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu *
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies
School of Industrial & Labor Relations
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10016
________________________________________________________________________
(The following is courtesy of the Centre for Industrial Relations, University of Toronto).
Weekly Work Report for the Week of December 6, 2004
These highlights of the week's HR/IR news are prepared by the Librarians at the Centre for Industrial Relations for our subscribers, alumni, faculty and students, and are intended for their individual use only. Please visit the CIR website for terms of use and information about organizational subscriptions. This message is composed in MS Outlook Express and contains hyperlinks that require an HTML-enabled email program.
The WWR is protected by Canadian copyright law and should not be reproduced or forwarded without permission. For inquiries or comments, please contact the Editor, elizabeth.perry@utoronto.ca.
----------
HARRY ARTHURS TO LEAD THE REVIEW OF CANADAÂS LABOUR CODE: On December 2, CanadaÂs Minister of Labour and Housing announced the appointment of Harry Arthurs as the commissioner of a review of federal labour standards contained in Part III of the Canada Labour Code. The advisory panel that will support the commission will include business and labour representatives, as well as experts Sherry Liang, an adjudicator with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario; Daphne Taras, Associate Dean of the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary; and Gilles Trudeau, Professor at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Law. The final report and recommendations are to be submitted to the Minister by January 2006.
Professor Arthurs is President Emeritus and University Professor at York University, and a former Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School. Professor Arthurs will deliver the 2005 Sefton Lecture on January 19, 2005 at the University of Toronto Faculty Club. The Sefton Lecture is sponsored by the Centre for Industrial Relations and Woodsworth College, and is open to the public.
LINKS:
Press release from HRSDC at <http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/cs/comm/hrsd/news/2004/041202.shtml>
Brief biography of Harry Arthurs in honour of his 2003 Bora Laskin Award at <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cir/aboutcir/borlaskinawardwinners/arthurs2003.html>
----------
AMENDMENTS TO SASKATCHEWAN TRADE UNION ACT: On November 19th the Saskatchewan government introduced amendments to the Trade Union Act. The most significant change is aimed at ensuring that first collective agreements are settled within a reasonable time. Under the new legislation the parties must begin bargaining within 20 days of certification of the bargaining unit, and either party can request assistance in reaching an agreement 90 days after the date of certification.
LINKS:
Saskatchewan government press release at <http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2004/11/19-729.html>
and Backgrounder (2 pages, PDF) at <http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/2004/11/19-729-attachment.pdf>
Bill 87, an Act to amend the Trade Union Act (8 pages, PDF) at <http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/bills/PDFs/bill-87.pdf>
----------
COMPASSIONATE CARE BENEFITS FOR NEWFOUNDLANDERS: On November 23rd the Newfoundland government introduced Bill 38, an amendment to the Labour Standards Act, to incorporate a system of compassionate care leave for an employee to provide care or support to a family member who has a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks. The Bill would introduce the same employment protection for as exists in Newfoundland for pregnancy, adoption and parental leave.
LINKS:
Bill 38, An act to amend the Labour Standards Act (5 pages, HTML) at the Newfoundland government website at <http://www.gov.nf.ca/hoa/bills/Bill0438.htm>
----------
UPDATE ON MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES: Minimum wage levels will increase as of January 1, 2005 in New Brunswick (from $6.20 to $6.30 per hour) and Prince Edward Island (from $6.50 to $6.80 per hour). OntarioÂs minimum wages will increase on February 1, following a schedule of annual increases until 2007. The general minimum wage in Ontario moves from $7.15 to $7.45 per hour in 2005, with other increases in all categories. In Quebec, the general minimum wage increases from $7.45 to $7.60 on May 1, 2005. In Manitoba, December 1 was the deadline for stakeholder input to the Minister on changes to the minimum wage for 2006 and beyond; annual increases are scheduled each April in Manitoba, with the current level of $7 per hour reached in April 2004.
LINKS:
Ontario FAQÂs about the Employment Standards Act <http://www.gov.on.ca/LAB/english/es/factsheets/fs_faq.html>
Quebec Labour Standards at <http://www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca/en/normes/salaire.asp>
----------
REDUCTION IN EI CONTRIBUTION RATE EFFECTIVE JAN. 1, 2005:
On December 6, the federal government announced a reduction in the employment insurance contribution rate, effective January 1, 2005. For employees at the maximum insurable earnings level, contributions will drop from the 2004 level of $1.98 per $100 of insurable earnings to $1.95. For employers, the change will be from $2.77 to $2.73 per $100 of insurable earnings. Maximum insurable earnings will remain at $39,000 for 2005. This is the smallest decrease in premiums in the last 11 years, when the government began the practice of annual reductions.
CanadaÂs Auditor General reported to a House subcommittee on November 4, 2004 that the surplus in the Employment Insurance Account stood at $46 billion on March 31, 2004, which exceeds by three times the maximum reserve considered sufficient by the chief actuary of Human Resources Development Canada in 2001.
LINKS:
Department of Finance press release at <http://www.fin.gc.ca/news04/04-074e.html>
Opening statement to the Subcommittee on the Employment Insurance Funds of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development Canada at <http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/other.nsf/html/04hrsub01_e.html>
Employers premiums cut by 4 cents in 2005 (Dec. 7) at Workopolis at <http://www.workopolis.com/servlet/Content/fasttrack/20041207/REIRATE07?section=Insurance>
----------
88% OF CANADIAN EMPLOYERS HOSTING HOLIDAY PARTIES: Hewitt Associates has recently published a survey of holiday season human resource practices. The 2004 Holiday Bonuses and Gifts Survey found that 33 % of organizations will be providing holiday bonuses of some sort. Of these organizations, 45 % will be giving gift certificates, 32 % cash and 21% a food item. Corporate parties remain popular: 88 % of employers will be hosting a party for their employees and 69 % will be hosting a childrenÂs party for families of their employees. 117 employers were included in the survey.
LINKS:
Press release and summary at the Hewitt website: <http://was4.hewitt.com/hewitt/resource/newsroom/pressrel/2004/12-01-04_eng.htm>
----------
BOMBARDIER LAYOFFS IN RAIL DIVISION: On December 1, Bombardier announced that it will eliminate 2,200 jobs at its rail division; 500 jobs will be cut in Canada, including 350 in La Pocatiere, Que., and 150 in Thunder Bay, Ont. The other job cuts will be concentrated in Germany and the United Kingdom, although 14 countries will be affected, according to the Bombardier press release. The latest restructuring news will bring the total job reductions worldwide to 7,600 (21% of its workforce) by April 2006. 7,300 of these are permanent jobs.
No job cuts were announced in the aerospace division this time around, although 2,000 jobs were cut there in October 2004. On November 30th, the CAW released a number of proposals for a industrial strategy for CanadaÂs aerospace industry, including an integrated Canadian industrial plan for the Bombardier C-series jet project, modeled on the European experience with Airbus. The report also proposed the creation of a Canadian Aerospace Development Council to bring together the industryÂs stakeholders.
LINKS:
Bombardier Transportation division press release at <http://www.bombardier.com/index.jsp?id=0_0&lang=en&file=/en/0_0/0_0_1_7/0_0_1_7.html>
ÂBombardier turnaround still on track, Tellier insists in the Globe and Mail (Dec. 2) at <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20041202/RBOMBARDIER02/TPBusiness/?query=bombardier>
Staying aloft: a sector strategy for CanadaÂs aerospace industry (54 pages, PDF) <http://www.caw.ca/whoweare/CAWpoliciesandstatements/discussionpapers/pdf/StayingAloft.pdf>
----------
HOW IS THE HIGH CANADIAN DOLLAR AFFECTING THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR? : A new report by CAW economist Jim Stanford projects that CanadaÂs manufacturing industry will lose over 400,000 jobs by 2007 if the Canadian dollar remains at 85 cents (U.S.) The study compares the impact of the current appreciation of the Canadian dollar to what happened from 1986 to 1991 and argues: ÂIf anything, the evidence to date suggests that the fallout of this appreciation will be worse than what we experienced in the early 1990s.Â
The Labour Force survey for November 2004, released by Statistics Canada on December 3, shows a national unemployment rate of 7.3%, up by 0 .2 percentage points. Manufacturing employment fell by 18,000 in November and has lost 52,000 jobs since July (mostly in Ontario). The Statistics Canada explanation: ÂCanadian manufacturers are facing challenges as the Canadian dollar has strengthened relative to the US dollar and is at its highest value in over a decade. Also a concern to manufacturers is the soaring price of crude oil and its impact on production costs.Â
The annual wage and salary survey conducted in 2004 for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association by Mercer Human Resource consulting also acknowledges the impact of the high dollar on labour costs. The survey found marked geographic salary differentials, with gaps as wide as 25% between the highest paying areas such as Fort McMurray, Alberta and the lowest paying areas in the Maritimes. Salaries in the GTA were 5% above the national average.
LINKS:
DollarÂs rise will exact painful toll on Canadian manufacturing (12 pages, PDF) at the CAW website at <http://www.caw.ca/whatwedo/research/pdf/Dollarsrisepainfultolldec04.pdf>
Labour Force Survey, November 2004 at the Statistics Canada website at <http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Labour/LFS/lfs-en.htm>
ÂJob growth curtailed by factory layoffs in the Globe and Mail (Dec. 4) at <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20041204/RECONO04/TPBusiness/?query=unemployment>
Manufacturing sector salaries reflect disparity of regional economies (news release) (3 pages, PDF) at the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters website at <http://www.cme-mec.ca/pdf/mercer_e.pdf>
Bank of Canada leaves interest rate unchanged at the CBC website at <http://www.cbc.ca/story/business/national/2004/12/07/bankrate-041207.html>
Bank of Montreal North American Outlook December 2004 (11 pages, PDF) at <http://www.bmo.com/economic/regular/month.html>
----------
121 St. George St., Toronto, Canada M5S 2E8 <http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/cir>
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 10:58 AM
