Nova Scotia’s workers are falling behind – Nova Scotia Advocate
the Department of Sociology at Acadia University, positions Nova
Scotia’s labour standards within a national context, and points out
several ways in which Nova Scotia has fallen behind. She states that the
current labour legislation is insufficient and is failing to address
the current needs of workers in the province.
Provisions pertaining to standard hours of work, overtime pay,
vacation, minimum wage, and statutory holidays, Casey argues are
especially weak. With entitlement to over-time pay beginning at
48-hours, Nova Scotia has one of the longest workweeks in the country.
Access to vacation time and statutory holidays are below average when
compared with other jurisdictions. While Nova Scotia is one of the few
provinces with gender pay-equity legislation, no legislation exists to
prohibit wage discrimination on the grounds of employment status. This
means that employers can legally pay full-time and part-time workers
differently for the same job.
Low wages
A topic of great controversy is Nova Scotia’s minimum wage, which is
the 5th lowest in Canada. At an hourly rate of $11.04 for inexperienced
workers (workers employed for less than 3 months with an employer), and
$11.55 for experienced workers, minimum wage earners are making almost
$8 less than a living wage for the city of Halifax.