Released on April 29, 2014
Saskatchewan’s consolidated labour legislation and the associated regulations are now in effect.“We are committed to supporting a competitive and productive employment environment by encouraging healthy, safe and fair workplaces, and by ensuring that our labour legislation provides flexibility to the modern workplace,” Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan said. “This legislation and the associated regulations came from working collaboratively with our stakeholders and we believe the result is legislation that supports the needs of stakeholders in Saskatchewan – putting the safety and interests of working people first.”
Highlights of the Regulations include:
- Minimum Wage – Indexing the minimum wage to provide security for minimum wage earners and ensure predictability for business owners in the province.
- Modified Work Arrangements – Allowing the employer and employees to agree to average hours of work over one, two, three or four weeks. The daily maximum that can be agreed to before overtime applies is 12 hours. As well, while maintaining the 40 hour work week, two work arrangements are permitted in the legislation – eight hours per day for five days per week or 10 hours per day for four days per week.
- Time Banks - Allowing the employer and employee or group of employees to agree to create a time bank for overtime hours worked.
- Interns – Recognizing that interns have all the rights and obligations of other employees.
- Days of Rest - Continuing to provide two days of rest for employees in the retail sector who are employed in an establishment with more than 10 employees and who work 20 or more hours per week. When possible, one of the two days is to be a Saturday or Sunday.
- Prime Contractors – Requiring the designation of a prime contractor if there are 10 or more self-employed persons or workers under the direction of two or more employers and in the following industries: Construction (dwellings that have four units or more), Forestry; and Oil and Gas.
- Occupational Health Committee Minutes - Removing the requirement for an Occupational Health Committee to submit minutes of meetings to the ministry. Instead, employers are required to maintain these minutes in the workplace.
For more information on these changes, how they affect Saskatchewan workers and employers, or a complete copy of The Saskatchewan Employment Act and the associated regulations, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/work.
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For more information, contact:
Rikki Bote
Labour Relations and Workplace Safety
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4156