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Labour Standards & OHS

- The Labour Standards Act –

Minimum standards for fair workplace practices.

The act applies to most employers and employees in Saskatchewan.  Some employees are not covered, such as traditional farm workers, employees who work in jobs covered by the federal Canadian Labour Code, and occasional ‘baby’ sitters.

In Saskatchewan, The Labour Standards Act sets the rules for your rights and responsibilities for fairness in the workplace.

Included in the act are standards for the following:

Minimum wage (currently $9.25 in SK), Minimum Call-Outs,  Overtime Pay, Public (Statutory) Holiday Pay, Annual Holidays (Vacations),  Annual Holiday Pay, Deductions from Pay Cheques, Uniforms in Restaurants, Hotels, Schools, Hospitals and Nursing Homes, Meals and Coffee Breaks, Dismissals and Lay-offs, Work Schedules ….

- Occupational Health and Safety (OHAS) -

You have the right to know about the hazards in your work place and how to protect yourself.   For more about the following information, contact Occupational Health and Safety: www.aeel.gov.sk.ca, www.aeel.gov.sk.ca/youthatwork   or   www.worksafesask.ca

You have responsibilities …for health and safety in the work place, such as to:

• participate in workplace health and safety training;
• follow safe work practices and procedures;
• use and take care of safety gear properly;
• not participate in harassment;
• report health and safety concerns to your supervisor; and
• ask questions if you are unsure how to do something safely.

Your employer has the responsibility to…

• tell you about policies, plans, and procedures followed in that workplace (for example, all workplaces must have a policy or plan to address harassment on the basis of age, sex and other human rights related grounds, and personal harassment or “bullying”, and places like 24-hour convenience stores, bars, and health care facilities need to have a plan to deal with violence);
• tell you about any hazards in the workplace (this includes use of chemicals, equipment and machinery) and precautions to be taken around those hazards;
• train you how to do your work safely and how to use gear properly;
• provide close supervision until you can show that you know how to do your job safely; and
• tell you what to do in case of a fire or other emergency; and the location of first aid facilities and prohibited or restricted areas.

OHAS Readiness Course – available online at www.aeel.gov.sk.ca/youthatwork - necessary for 14 and15 year olds who want to work!

 Be sure to know whom your health and safety representatives are in your workplace when you start!

- Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission -

Promoting and protecting individual dignity and equal rights is the focus of the Saskatchewan Human Right Commission.  It is their job to discourage and eliminate discrimination.  It does that in three ways:

1. investigates complaints of discrimination
2. promotes and approves programs
3. educations people about human rights law in Saskatchewan

Great Resources for Youth:

Application and Interview Guide
Human Right for Everyone