Canadian Labour Reporter

MARCH 10, 2014 2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 Minimum wage rising in the Yukon IQALUIT — The minimum wage in the Yukon is rising on April 1 by 18 cents an hour. It will rise from $10.54 to $10.72 per hour. The minimum wage in the territo- ry is calculated in accordance with the consumer price index (CPI) for White- horse, and is adjusted every April 1. The government said the Fair Wage paid to people working on government- tendered construction contracts will also increase on April 1 — by 1.7 per cent — across all four wage categories. B.C. Teachers' Federation calls for a strike vote VANCOUVER — The B.C. Teachers' Fed- eration (BCTF) has called for a strike vote. The vote is a push back against what the union calls "major concession de- mands, an unfair salary offer, and a deliberately confrontational attempt to reverse the recent B.C. Supreme Court decision on class size, composition, and staffing levels." More than 40 sessions at the table and a full year of bargaining have brought the union and the provincial government no closer to reaching a deal. "Teachers care deeply about our schools, our students and our commu- nities," said BCTF president Jim Iker. "We don't take a strike vote lightly. However, this government seems inca- pable or unwilling to let the B.C. Public School Employers' Association (BCP- SEA) negotiate fairly with teachers." Iker said the government — through BCPSEA — continues to act in bad faith. "For 12 years teachers have worked to defend our rights, our working con- ditions, and our students' learning con- ditions," he said. "And once again we find ourselves facing a government fo- cused only on confrontation." According to the union, BCPSEA's offer would see teachers in the province go without a wage increase for another two years, despite other public-sector workers recently receiving increases of as much as four per cent. The strike vote will take place on March 4, 5 and 6, 2014. Once the vote is taken, BCTF will have 90 days to ac- tivate a form of labour action. "We will consider all job action op- tions and ti n EDUCATION ming very carefully," Iker said. "Our goal is to reach a negotiated deal at the bargain- ing table without having to resort to job action." Health care staffers in Saskatchewan pen new contract REGINA — Health care workers in Sas- katchewan ratified a new collective agreement with the government last week, solidifying major improvements to their working conditions, according to the union. On Feb. 28, the Saskatchewan Gov- ernment and General Employees Union (SGEU) — affiliated with the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) — signed a new deal on be- half of health care providers, who had been without a contract since 2012. As part of the five-year agreement, employees will receive an 8.5 per cent wage increase, along with additional premium improvements. The union also negotiated enhance- ments to shift and weekend differ- entials, standby pay, monthly car al- lowances and professional fees for workers, as well as made improve- ments to the overall language in the latest contract. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) were also in- volved at the bargaining table. For more news, see www.labour- reporter.com. FORMERLY CLV REPORTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com Published weekly by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 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If legal or other expert assistanceis required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The analysis contained herein represents the opinion of the authors and should in no way be construed as being either official or unofficial policy of any governmental body. ISSN 0045-5113 Publications Registration 2089 Canadian Labour Reporter is part of the Canadian HR Reporter group of publications. Visit www.hrreporter.com for more information. canadian labour reporter Labour Briefs A look at labour news from across Canada. For regular news updates, visit Canadian Labour Reporter at www.labour-reporter.com

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