For Immediate Release (Winnipeg, Treaty One):
A new survey released today finds that most Manitobans support extending employment rights held by employees to gig workers who work for digital platforms such as Skip the Dishes or Uber. A representative poll of Manitobans finds that sixty-five percent strongly agree or somewhat agree that gig workers should be covered by the same employment rights as employees. Younger adults and Winnipeggers are more likely to support this. Probe Research conducted the survey, and the results are attached. Read full report here.
Employment rights for gig workers is one of eleven policy recommendations to address gaps in labour legislation, improve working conditions across the province, and help workers catch up with the cost of living. This is published in a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Manitoba: “A Progressive Labour Agenda for Manitoba: Eleven policy options to improve working conditions and social wellbeing”
Workers in Manitoba are facing increasing pressure due to a rising cost of living and higher levels of workplace stress. The latest Canadian Income Survey, released in April 2024, found that 22.9% of Canadians experienced food insecurity in 2022, a 28% increase over the previous year. The report proposes legislation, such as raising the minimum wage to a living wage and requiring employers to publish employee schedules with sufficient notice, that would help reduce stress and raise incomes in Manitoba.
Diwa Marcelino from MIGRANTE, a community organization that advocates for the rights of migrant workers, will be speaking alongside Niall Harney, the report editor. Workplace inequities faced by women, migrant workers, and recent immigrants are being exacerbated by gaps in aspects of provincial labour legislation. The report proposes updates to the Workplace Recruitment and Protection Act to extend protections to migrant workers and international students, as well as updates to pay equity legislation, among other proposals.
Report release and press conference:
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
10:00 – 10:30 am
275 Broadway Ave, Winnipeg
“Over the last decade aspects of labour legislation and the enforcement of labour rights have fallen by the wayside.” Says Niall Harney, Errol Black Chair in Labour Issues at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Manitoba. “Provincial governments have the power to significantly improve workers’ lives through the legislation they pass. This report provides a policy package to improve working conditions and overall wellbeing in Manitoba this government can work towards throughout their mandate.”
Full list of policies:
Improving access to a union and fair collective bargaining
1) Introduce card-check legislation with certification threshold of fifty per cent plus one
2) Introduce anti-scab legislation
Modernize labour legislation to close gaps in employment standards and improve conditions for non-unionized workers
3) Raise the minimum wage to a living wage
4) Six policy options to protect gig-workers
5) Include predictive scheduling under employment standards
6) Introduce pay equity legislation
7) Update the Worker Recruitment & Protection Act (WRAPA)
8) Eliminate Employment Standards exclusions for migrant workers
9) Expand access to $10 per day child care spaces
Improve workplace health and safety
10) Legislate 10 paid sick days
11) Develop a proactive enforcement strategy for employment standards and health and safety
About
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is an independent, charitable research institute. All research is peer reviewed.
Media contact: Niall Harney, Errol Black Chair in Labour Issues, CCPA-MB
204-510-7934
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