As workers get set to commemorate Labour Day, the president of the BC Federation of Labour says th movement here is going strong.
“I think the labour movement today is up and fighting back as best we can on most days. In British Columbia today, we see in many cases workers getting collective agreements with 2.5-percent and 3-percent wage increases in them,” Jim Sinclair says.
With thousands of unionized workers ready to walk off the job on Wednesday for a one-day strike, Sinclair adds most British Columbians support the workers’ plight.
Labour minister Margaret MacDiarmid says she’s happy with the government’s collaboration with unions.
“The BC Federation of Labour is a very important partner, in particular for WorkSafe, and a critical part of many of the committees. … We came forward this year with a toolkit to work to prevent domestic violence because it does sometimes come into the workplace.”
MacDiarmid also points to a drop in work-related deaths, though she says one death is still too many.
And when it comes to another possible rise in B.C.’s minimum wage, the Liberals and NDP give the same answer.
MacDiarmid says the government has committed to regularly review the wage.
“We’re looking at how we will do that review. It will need to be widely consulted. We’ll need to hear from lots of people.”
At least for right now, the New Democrats have a good chance to form government next spring, and labour critic Shane Simpson was asked whether his party would hike the minimum wage.
“Maybe so you have smaller incremental increases, if that makes sense, that come into place over time, so that you’re not doing this ‘nothing happens for five years, ten years,’ and then you give it a big whack.”
But he says the party hasn’t landed on a concrete solution.
B.C.’s minimum wage is now $ 10.25/hour.
Both MacDiarmid and Simpson were speaking on CKNW’s The World Today Weekend with Sean Leslie.
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