The Kenney government has announced changes to the way workplace health and safety committees operate in the province.
The government says the move is being made to reduce red tape, uphold workers rights, and support health and safety across the workplace.
Critics call the move misguided and say it may actually reduce workplace safety going forward.
Under the changes announced last week and coming into effect in the new year, workplace committees will now be required for each employer with 20 or more workers, not for each workplace as is currently the case.
“Employers are still responsible for ensuring healthy and safe work sites and new rules provide flexibility to meet the unique needs of each workplace,” said Jason Copping, minister of Labour and Immigration.
“The new rules for health and safety committees will support health and safe workplaces while reducing administrative burdens.”
Under the changes, school divisions will now be required to have one committee, rather than one per school.
“Our divisional occupational health and safety committee has resulted in the consistent implementation of safety practices across the division,” said Shawn Russell, Chinook’s Edge School Division associate superintendent.
Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan calls the changes a mistake, putting worker safety at risk to promote the UPC’s political agenda.
“Disbanding and disempowering these committees will undermine safety in Alberta workplaces, not strengthen it,” said McGowan. “Instead of workers having a mechanism to look after their own safety, they’ll once again be reliant on sporadic enforcement from the government.
“To say that we have no confidence in the UCP to do this would be an understatement. We elect governments to defend the interests of citizens, not help employers cut corners at the expense of safety.”
Whether these changes to workplace committee structure and operations will prove to be positive for employees and employers remains to be seen.
What is known is that any possibility that 2020 will see the UPC government and Alberta worker organizations see eye-to-eye on critical health and safety issues seems increasingly unlikely.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Mountain View Albertan.
