In the face of a tariff war, the Houston government is still leaving workers behind: NDP

HALIFAX –Today, NDP Labour Critic Paul Wozney made the following statement in response to changes to the Labour Standards Code:

“While Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast are facing higher costs from Donald Trump’s tariffs, the Houston government is leaving Nova Scotian workers without the protections they need.

Today, the government finally listened to our call to end tip theft which is a welcomed step. But Nova Scotian workers still have some of the worst protections in Canada.

Even after the government’s changes, Nova Scotians are still only entitled to overtime pay after working 44 hours per week. That still puts us behind the eight provinces and territories who mandate overtime pay after 40 hours.

The situation is even worse for thousands of workers who continue to be left behind. Construction and sawmill workers can still be required to work 110 hours over a two week period. Workers in oil and gas, IT and shipbuilding can still have their overtime calculated at minimum wage instead of their regular wage.

These exemptions don’t exist in most other provinces. That means local workers are logging more hours for less pay. It’s unfair and Nova Scotians know it.

Gig workers, like Uber and Lyft drivers, are still not protected at all by the Labour Standards Code.

Women still get paid 15 per cent less than men in Nova Scotia, on average – almost two hundred dollars less per week.

And there are no guaranteed number of paid sick days.

The Houston government has a very long way to go to give workers the basic protections and fairness they deserve.”

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