Canadian Labour Reporter

lAboUr brieFs 2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 Alberta's new pension legislation to take eff ect Sept. 1 CALgARY — Changes to Al- berta's pension regulations will come into effect this fall. The Employment Pension Plans Act aims to provide more flexibility to private sector pen- sion plans and improve long- term stability, as well as encour- aging the establishment of new plans, according to the provin- cial government. "Attractive features of the leg- islation include its promotion of innovation in plan design, more flexible funding rules and re- duced administrative complex- ity," said Chris Brown, the former Alberta chair of the Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards and current partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. Regulation would establish funding rules for private sector pension plans that lean towards a target benefit model on a go- forward basis only. While the legislation was passed in 2012, the cabinet only approved it on July 22. "Private sector plan sponsors such as employers and unions have expressed concern about the long-term viability of their plans and have demanded more flexibility," said Doug Horner, the province's finance minister. "To further delay proclaiming this act and its regulation would be irresponsible to the many or- ganizations across Alberta who are eagerly awaiting it." Key items in the new legisla- tion include: •more flexible rules for the establishment of different types of plans and discussion on new ideas for plan rules on how to fund target benefit plans •rules for unlocking of ben- efits for circumstances noted in the act •new disclosure rules that have been revised to be more plan type specific and expanded to provide information to more interested parties •clarification of the roles and functions of the administrator, fund holder and participating employers •some specific rules related to the establishment and main- tenance of funding and gover- nance policies •rules for enforcement, in- cluding limits on fees and pen- alties and establishment of the Alberta Pension Tribunal. brunswick Smelter employees in strike position bELLEdUnE, n.b. — Talks are becoming frustrated in the first negotiations between resource giant Glencore and employees at Brunswick Smelter. "This is Glencore's first ne- gotiations since it purchased the smelter last year. You would think they would treat employ- ees, families and the community with fairness and respect." said Tony DePaulo, assistant to the United Steelworkers (USW) At- lantic Canada director. "Instead of seeking a fair set- tlement, Glencore has repeated- ly demanded excessive conces- sions. The workers are ready to negotiate a fair deal and we call on Glencore to do the same." USW Local 7085 represents 300 employees at the Belledune, N.B. workplace. Workers voted on July 24 to reject Glencore's contract, which according to the union weakened pensions, health and safety standards, disability ben- efits, and vacation pay, among other concessions. The vote marked workers' second rejection of a proposed contract, bringing the employ- ees and company to a strike/ lockout position. A notice of 24 hours is required prior to any job action. According to DePaulo, the union has no intention of strik- ing and still believes a fair settle- ment is achievable. "Working families and the community should not be held hostage by unreasonable de- mands and threats," he said. "We're calling on Glencore to return to the bargaining table so we can negotiate a reasonable settlement that is fair to every- one." A one-day strike by South Africa's biggest union put the focus on youth unemployment. One in four people are jobless, according to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa. 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 - On leave Acting Publisher/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. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. e publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional advice. If legal or other expert assistanceis required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. e analysis contained herein represents the opinion of the authors and should in no way be construed as being either offi cial or unoffi cial 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. Labour Reporter Canadian www.labourreporter.com Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko (Reuters) lAboUr lenS

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