NB 667
May 29, 2007
FREDERICTON (CNB) - A new regulation has been approved under the Employment Standards Act that will adjust the minimum wage schedules for employees in Crown construction work, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Ed Doherty announced today.
The New Brunswick Fair Wage Schedule establishes the minimum hourly wage rates that employers must pay to certain categories of employees for work done under provincial Crown construction projects.
"Despite the fact that minimum wage has increased several times over the last decade and a half, the New Brunswick Fair Wage Schedule has not been updated since 1990. This amendment is long overdue," the minister said. "I am pleased to say that we are moving forward on amending this regulation based on the recommendations made by a joint committee of industry stakeholders as well as the Minimum Wage Board."
Doherty said these recommendations included the appropriate wage level, how best to change the wage level, the appropriate type of categories to be listed, and how to better enforce the wage against delinquent employers.
"Amending the New Brunswick Fair Wage Schedule is one of several accomplishments we have carried out in the past eight months to benefit the workers and employers of our province," the minister said. "During this time, we have also appointed the first female chair of the Workplace Health Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC), and we committed to the largest annual increase to the province's minimum wage. We also pledged an annual rate review by the Minimum Wage Board, and recently announced an independent review of the WHSCC that we committed to in our Charter for Change."
The regulations, which will include the updated Fair Wage Schedule, will be distributed to companies contracted out by the Department of Supply and Services and the Department of Transportation to perform provincial Crown construction work. For information on the New Brunswick Fair Wage Schedule, contact the Employment Standards branch at 1-888-452-2687 or visit the website.
"The government works diligently to strike a balance between the needs of New Brunswick's workers and the rights of New Brunswick's employer community to allow them to remain competitive," Doherty said. "We are committed to supporting our workers and our entrepreneurs to ensure they have the resources and regulatory framework they need to position New Brunswick as a leader in economic development, and to put our province on the path to self-sufficiency."
07/05/29
MEDIA CONTACT: Shawn Hearn, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, 506-453-2568.
07/05/29