Discussions

Well the NDP, the traditional supporters of Labour in Manitoba are at it again. They are quite happy to pay their election workers below minimum wage. An increase in the provinces minimum wage took effect on April 1st, but Election Manitoba workers will not benefit because the new rules do not apply to the 6,000 temporary provincial election employees in Manitoba. Government officials contacted by the CBC confirmed that temporary election staff arena’t entitled to the provincial minimum wage. Ms. Darlene Dziewit, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, says the exemption for Elections Manitoba workers is unfair, (an understatement) “It strikes me as odd that someone would see fit to pay less than minimum wage.” Elections Manitoba is an arms length agency of the government. They make their own rules, but could pay the minimum wage if they wanted to.  
Several other groups of employees are also excluded from the provinces minimum wage legislation, including agricultural workers, some sales workers, certain professionals, and some employees who work for their own family business. Mr. Errol Black is the Brandon champion for minimum wage raises and the Official Agent for Mr. Scott Smith, but where is he when his government refuses to pay minimum wage to its election employees? Why has he not lobbied to have the provincial Law changed? Why are the election workers being paid at a lower standard of wage than all other workers, other than the exceptions? Why cannot the NDP government take action to ensure its workers receive the standards of the rest of the provinces employees? The Employment Standards Act, which governs the minimum wage, was revised in February in the first real reforms to provincial labour standards in almost three decades, however the minimum wage exceptions were not changed during the revisions, but like the teachers reform Bills and probably others they only did a half asked job.