UPDATED MARCH
13, 2004
SUBMISSION TO THE
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS BOARD ON OVERTIME EXEMPTIONS
February 28, 2005
The PEI Federation of Labour is pleased to see that the Employment
Standards Board is looking into removing the Standard Work Week
Exemption Order for Community Care Facilities and would like to go on
record in favor of reducing the standard work week for Community-care
facility workers.
The main reason for having Overtime rules is to financially deter
employers from forcing workers to work excessive hours on a regular
basis and allow workers to not only have a social and family life
outside of work but also allow them time to recuperate from the
physical and mental stresses that are apart of every bodies daily work
experience.
Considering that study after study is showing that excessive work hours
are dangerous, unhealthy, and disruptive of family and community life
and with PEI (tied only with Nova Scotia and Ontario) already having
the highest standard work week in Canada within its Employment
Standards Act, it is incomprehensible to us that our Employment
Standards would further reduce this deterrence by allowing an exemption
that permits a standard work week of 60 hours.
This particular exemption of Community Care Facilities even goes
directly against the reason given in the Act for establishing overtime
exemptions in the first place of “Due to down time, the
seasonal nature and the effect weather conditions have on certain
industries, the Employment Standards Board has issued an Exemption
Order extending overtime hours to some specific industries”.
Employment in Community Care Facilities meet none of these conditions
and with most of the jobs in these facilities being continuous year
round employment, it means workers in community-care facilities are
being exploited even more than the workers in the industries the
exemptions were meant to cover.
Therefore, the PEI Federation of labour urges the Employment Standards
Board to not only reduce the standard work week for Community Care
Facilities but to also remove all overtime exemptions from the
Employment Standards Act. We also urge you to reduce the standard work
week within the Act from 48 to 40 hours
in order to bring PEI more in line with the majority of Canada.
SUBMISSIONS MAIN PAGE
ANY
CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS,
OR ERRORS CLICK ON THE MAILBOX.
