TORONTO, April 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- “Today’s announcement of the Government Contract Wages Act, to be introduced by the Honourable Kevin Flynn, Minister of Labour, is a huge step towards leveling the playing field in Ontario’s construction industry,” announced Patrick Dillon, Business Manager of the Ontario Building Trades Council. “I commend the Minister, and Premier Kathleen Wynne who have shown bold leadership in bringing this forward with a view to tackling precariousness in the industry.”
“This legislation paves the way for protecting workers’ wages by establishing an enforceable requirement that contractors who bid on government-procured construction work must pay their workers fair wages that reflect trade-specific, prevailing rates in each region of the province,” explained Dillon.
“Restoring the provincial fair wage policy sends a strong signal to the construction industry, that workers who pay taxes and contribute to the well-being of our province should not, and cannot be exploited by the very tax dollars that they (and all Ontarians) contribute. It’s about fairness for workers and about tackling the underground economy in construction,” Dillon noted. “This law will help ensure that the benefits of a strong-performing economy are more widely felt by the people who build-up our province,” he said.
“Various iterations of the fair wage policy have existed in Canada since the 1890s, and Ontario’s version was frozen in 1995, so it’s high time to bring it back,” said Dillon, adding that “if enacted, the legislation will lead to a significantly weakened underground economy in construction, better worker health and safety, protection of vulnerable workers, and increased productivity gains in the workplace, which will benefit employers and workers alike.”
“As they had articulated their support for the fair wage to construction employers and workers at Queen’s Park earlier this year, it is my hope that all three major political parties demonstrate their support for the fair wage, which will benefit the people of Ontario,” he concluded.
The Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario represents 150,000 trades workers throughout the province. For more information, please contact Patrick Dillon:
Cell: (416) 347-8245
E-mail: patrick@ontariobuildingtrades.com