Committee studies hog labour bill

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Published: May 2, 2002

Hog barn workers and barn owners in Saskatchewan will be governed by

new labour laws sometime this summer.

The province is launching its final round of consultations for a bill

it hopes will bring a consistent application of workplace regulations

to the industry, said labour minister Deborah Higgins.

She said changes to the Labour Standards Act for hog workers will be

introduced and passed in the legislature this session. A six-person

committee, representing workers and employers, will study the

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regulations and their effects on the industry, and present a report by

May 17.

“It’s very important for recruitment and retention in that area to have

consistent regulations and workplace conditions across the industry,”

Higgins said.

She said the government supports the growth of large hog barns, but

regards them as industrial operations requiring regulation.

“I wonder, why the difference between rural and urban workers in what

really is an industrial setting?”

The bill would only affect industrial, commercial hog enterprises, she

added, and not traditional family farms.

Formal consultations began in January with unionized and non-unionized

workers and employers, but informal talks have taken place for more

than a year, she said.

Joan Steckhan of Sask Pork feels more discussion is necessary, saying

the new committee does not represent non-unionized workers and is

targeting large hog operations.

She said the government is moving too quickly, noting this year’s

consultations consisted of “subjective interviews with hog producers”

and two meetings with Sask Pork.

“We have another farce process; a consultation not reflective of the

agricultural industry,” she said.

“It doesn’t include a proper analysis to make legislation proper for

the industry, and the whole process has a predetermined conclusion.”

New legislation must be applied consistently, be fair and make sense,

she added.

“Our concern is pork is the thin edge of the wedge.”

Steckhan called the process a “discriminatory segregation of the pork

industry within agriculture.”

She said legislative changes could also affect smaller mixed family

farms, who employ workers. She also expressed concern how changes would

affect the unique operating structure of Hutterite barns.

Steckhan said the pork industry is not afraid of labour standards, but

feels larger operators already comply with the Labour Standards Act.

The hog industry has a long history of developing labour standards, she

added.

If that’s the case, wondered Larry Hubich of Grain Services Union, then

why oppose the legislative changes?

“In my opinion, it’s a not very honest attempt to obscure what’s really

going on here.”

Hubich, whose union represents workers at Saskatchewan’s only unionized

hog operation, is one of six members of the new government committee.

It also includes the father of a hog barn worker, a unionized hog

worker and three Sask Pork representatives, including two

vice-presidents.

Hubich questioned why large operators, not family farms, are leading

the charge against legislation that Sask Pork feels could affect all

agricultural businesses.

“Large corporate hog operations will do more damage to small family

farms than any labour standards will,” Hubich said, citing the smaller

operations’ inability to compete with the larger ones.

About the author

Karen Morrison

Saskatoon newsroom

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