Media release by the Halifax Workers Action Centre: Last week, numerous changes to the Canada Labour Code came into force. Our provincial government needs to follow the federal lead and consider making similar changes to bring our minimum employment standards up to speed with the rest of the country.
People who get paid the least and work in the most unstable jobs are often the people most vulnerable to abuse by their bosses. And without a union or money to get legal help, these workers usually have nowhere to go. In Halifax at least that situations has improved a bit. There is now a Workers Action Centre (WAC) that you can turn to for answers to your questions and for concrete support.
It’s early days, but labour activists in Halifax want to establish a Workers Action Centre in Halifax. Such a centre could make a big difference for non-unionized workers in precarious jobs. There’s not a whole lot of money, and the centre will start small, relying on borrowed office space and volunteers. But a modest start may actually work to its advantage.