Saskatchewan Chamber submission to Employment Standards Review
November 6, 2023Last month, on behalf of our membership, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce (SCC) responded to the Saskatchewan government’s request for comments on the employment standards provisions of The Saskatchewan Employment Act. The SCC’s submission included 27 recommendations to improve the structure, flexibility, and effectiveness of employment standards in the province through targeted actions. The review encompassed important workplace practices such as: hours of work, schedules, overtime, tip and gratuities, youth employment provisions, protections for illness and injury, regulate employment leaves, layoff and termination provisions, as well as the foundational definitions of an Employer and Employee.
Notably the SCC argued against any expansion of statutory holidays in the province and against the establishment of any employer-funded sick day requirement. The SCC will continue to vocalize the material concerns employers have over the costs of such measures as the Ministry develops its recommendations.
In addition, two of the most significant changes recommended by the SCC was a request for provisions to be amended to allow a ‘day’ in Saskatchewan to be a calendar day as opposed to 24 consecutive hours as it relates to the application of the employment standards provision, and to change overtime provisions in the province to apply on a weekly basis only, as opposed to the current provisions which calculate overtime on a daily and weekly basis.
Please click here to see the SCC’s complete submission.
On behalf of your business the SCC will continue to engage with the government as it determines the recommendation it will adopt from this review.
