At 48-hours, Nova Scotia has one of the longest workweeks in the country. Before a worker is legally entitled to earn an overtime rate of pay (one-and-a half times their regular wage), they generally have to have worked 48-hours over a one-week span. Lisa Cameron reports.
Scott Neigh does such a wonderful job highlighting activist work all across Canada. Whenever his podcast Talking Radical touches upon Nova Scotia he generously allows the Advocate to share. Here is Scott talking about the Halifax Workers Action Centre with Sakura Saunders and NS Advocate writer Lisa Cameron.
Lisa Cameron: In Nova Scotia, your boss can demand proof that you’re sick, even if it’s just a short term illness. Those requests make life miserable for workers and put stress on an already overburdened medical system.
The Nook Espresso Bar and Lounge closed its Bedford location in late July of this year. It did so suddenly and without giving any kind of warning to its seven employees. When the owners incorrectly calculated their notice pay, the baristas fought back, with help from the Halifax Workers Action Centre. Lisa Cameron reports.
A recent CCPA report counts the ways current labour legislation fails to address needs of workers in the province. Provisions pertaining to standard hours of work, overtime pay, vacation, minimum wage, and statutory holidays are especially weak, writes Lisa Cameron.
During a hurricane or other storm when shops, bars and store are closed, most hourly paid workers – such as bar, restaurant, and coffee shop employees simply do not get paid. This week, they could lose nearly half their week’s pay (and tips), due to the closures. Judy Haiven explains.
Judi Haiven on working / not working on Labour Day and getting paid. It’s complicated. Know your labour rights!
Judy and Larry Haiven on the deplorable state of labour standards in NS: As we approach Labour Day of 2019, we would do well to ponder the miserable situation of those who toil in the workplaces of this province and how this hurts us all.
Natal Day for many non-unionized people really isn’t a holiday at all. No overtime pay, no ability to refuse to work, and if the place closes you could get the day off with no pay. It doesn’t have to be that way, Judy Haiven explains.
Non-unionized workers in Nova Scotia not only need to deal with low wages, they are denied many of the protections other Canadian workers enjoy. A new report by the CCPA identifies the shortcomings and recommends how to fix it.