Canadian Labour Reporter

lAboUr brieFs 2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 Construction union wage rate steady: StatsCan OTTAWA — The country's construction union wage rate went unchanged in March, ac- cording to a Statistics Canada report released on April 24. The composite index, how- ever, increased. When weighted against March of 2012, the com- posite index went up 1.6 per cent. In October 2012, the most recent month for which data is available, a construction work- er's average hourly wage rate (ex- cluding overtime) was $27.79. The month before that, the aver- age hourly wage rate was $27.57 (revised from original Statistics Canada publication). That includes construction jobs such as carpenters, crane operators, electricians, bricklay- ers, painters, roofers and truck drivers, among others. Statistics Canada's construc- tion union wage rate index tracks monthly changes in the collective agreement hourly wage rates for 16 trades in the building construction industry in 22 metropolitan areas. national Day of Mourning observed across Canada OTTAWA — April 28 marked the National Day of Mourning to honour workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness as a result of work-relat- ed incidents. The commemorative day — first observed in Canada — is recognized in 80 countries. Despite increasing awareness of the importance of workplace safety, as many as 1,000 Canadi- an workers lose their lives on the job each year. Young workers are more likely to suffer a workplace injury than adults. Though they work 10 per cent of the hours of all workers, young employees suffer injuries at a rate of 16 per cent. "Injuries, illnesses or deaths caused by work-related acci- dents deeply affect our families and communities," said Min- ister of Labour Kellie Leitch. "Through the combined efforts — employers, employees, gov- ernments and organizations — we can help reduce workplace illnesses and injuries." North American Occupation- al Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week follows the National Day of Mourning as another op- portunity to focus attention on the importance of occupational health and safety. "We all have a responsibility of ensuring that Canada's most valuable resources — workers of all ages — have fair, safe and healthy workplaces," Leitch said. Solidarity picket protests Lehigh Cement lockout REGInA — Locked out since Jan. 21, employees at Lehigh Cement's Regina terminal got a helping hand from Saskatch- ewan's largest labour organiza- tion. The International Broth- erhood of Boilermakers (IBB) teamed up with the Saskatche- wan Federation of Labour to hold a solidarity picket on April 24. "This is a real David and Go- liath story," said IBB's interna- tional vice-president Joseph Maloney. "We have three people standing up to the might of an in- ternational conglomerate which refuses to negotiate fairly." At the centre of the dispute, IBB reports, is the company's demand that employees work Sunday without overtime or bonuses. The union reports a management negotiator has agreed to terms three times only to renege on the agreement and return to the table with demands for further concessions. "It's a common practice in American negotiations," Ma- loney said. "You get what you think is an agreement and the company comes back with new demands. They're constantly moving the goal posts." The IBB filed charges of un- fair labour practices against the company with the Saskatch- ewan Labour Relations Board. The union reports the board is unable to hold a hearing until June due to the company's de- lay tactics. "The Labour Board needs to use its authority to force this company to negotiate in good faith," Maloney said. For more labour news and info, visit www.labour-reporter.com. Commuters board a bus outside King's Cross Station in London. Mil- lions faced delays on April 29 after fi nal talks failed to avert a two-day strike on the London Underground Train Network. The strike was sparked by plans to cut jobs and close ticket offi ces. fORMERLY CLV REPORTS Serving labour relations professionals since 1956 www.labour-reporter.com Published weekly by omson Reuters Canada Ltd. Subscription rate: $595 per year Customer Service Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) fax: (416) 298-5106 Email: carswell.customerrelations@ thomsonreuters.com Website: www.carswell.com Director, Carswell Media Karen Lorimer Publisher John Hobel Managing Editor Todd Humber news Editor Sabrina Nanji | (416) 649-9348 sabrina.nanji@thomsonreuters.com news Editor Liz Foster | (416) 298-5129 liz.foster@thomsonreuters.com Marketing Co-ordinator Travis Chan | (416) 609-5872 travis.chan@thomsonreuters.com © 2014 Carswell, a division of omson Reuters Canada Ltd. 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