lAboUr brieFs
2
Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014
small town
Alberta
mayors
chide tFWp
changes
CALGARY — Mayors of small
town Alberta have lambasted
Ottawa's changes to the tempo-
rary foreign worker program.
The Alberta Urban Munici-
palities Association (AUMA)
said businesses rely on tempo-
rary foreign workers to fill the
province's labour shortages, and
the federal government's recent
changes will restrict access to
much-needed workers and jeop-
ardize economic growth and de-
velopment.
"The program needs to ac-
count for the unique employ-
ment needs of Alberta's econo-
my," said Helen Rice, president
of the association. "We agree the
program should be strengthened,
but the solution does not lie in in-
hibiting Alberta's growth."
Earlier this summer, employ-
ment minister Jason Kenney
overhauled the program, mak-
ing it more difficult for employ-
ers to hire temporary foreign
workers and instead to ensure
Canadians are considered first
for jobs. For employers that vio-
late the new rules, the federal
government is considering life-
time bans and hefty fines.
But the AUMA said any re-
forms should instead focus on
providing greater clarity on
how employers can adequately
demonstrate their inability to
hire a Canadian worker and to
implement changes to reduce
the cost and time of its applica-
tion process.
"We question why employers
across Alberta are being penal-
ized by restrictive
changes when only a small per-
centage of employers are inap-
propriately using the program,"
Rice added.
Municipal
workers in
Newfoundland
and labrador
locked out
MOUNt pEARl, N.l. — The
City of Mount Pearl, N.L., locked
out its municipal workers on
Sept. 29.
Garbage and recycling collec-
tion were disrupted while rec-
reational programs and events
have been suspended.
The Reid Community
Centre, swimming pool and
Kenmount Park Communi-
ty Centre are closed. Many
of the 140 employees —
represented by the Canadi-
an Union of Public Employees
(CUPE) Local 2099 — protest-
ed the city's latest and report-
edly "final" offer before being
locked out. The union reports
wages are the main outstanding
issue in negotiations.
"Mount Pearl residents need
to understand that we were
more than ready to go back to
the table, but the city appears to
have other plans," said CUPE Lo-
cal 2099 president Bob Martin.
"I want to emphasize, this is
not a work stoppage, as the mayor
has been saying. This is a lockout.
The mayor and senior managers
have basically shut the city down."
The union reports there has
been no movement towards
resolution.
Trade unionists shout slogans and blow vuvuzelas during a protest in front of Romania's government
headquarters. Thousands of workers rallied to demand better wages and living standards.
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