Truro, Nova Scotia – Some might think that long-term care (LTC) workers – the heroes of the pandemic – would be respected these days in Nova Scotia. For Tevin Crawford, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) who was recently terminated at Wynn Park Villa in Truro, this is far from the case. Wynn Park Villa is a…
Last year, Justin Trudeau promised “a federal minimum wage of at least $15 per hour, starting in 2020 and rising with inflation, with provisions to ensure that where provincial or territorial minimum wages are higher, that wage will prevail.” The year-end is quickly approaching, and yet there has been no movement to honour this commitment. …
The Workers Action Centre – Halifax stands in solidarity with people across the country, continent and world who have gathered in opposition to the horrific killing of George Floyd and so many Black, Indigenous and other racialized people by police. We support calls for immediate government action to stop the killing, including defunding police. In the fight…
The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour has contributed to the fight for improved worker rights by donating five thousand dollars to the Halifax Workers’ Action Centre (Halifax-WAC). The Halifax-WAC was founded in 2017 by the Halifax-Dartmouth & District Labour Council and Solidarity Halifax. By providing information and rights advice to workers in low-wage and precarious…
Originally published in the NS Advocate. KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – In Nova Scotia, your boss can demand proof that you’re sick, even if it’s just a short term illness. Those requests make life miserable for workers and put stress on an already overburdened medical system. For many short-term sicknesses, a trip to the doctor is really…
Originally published in Our Times Magazine. BY MELISSA KEITH When workers battle back against unfairness on the job, action speaks louder than words. Katrin MacPhee is a lawyer at Pink Larkin in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She’s one of a “healthy base of volunteers” who helped establish the Halifax Workers’ Action Centre, becoming involved through membership in Solidarity Halifax, a…
Originally published in the NS Advocate. By Lisa Cameron KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – Earlier this year baristas employed by the Smiling Goat learned the hard way how vulnerable they are. This summer employees of a coffee shop in Bedford received a similar grim reminder. To the surprise of both its customers and its employees, The Nook…
Originally published on Rank and File. By Lisa Cameron In August, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released their report “A Rising Tide to Lift All Boats”, making several recommendations to improve existing employment legislation in Nova Scotia. This 2019 report is a follow-up to the 2012 CCPA report, and provides and updated and…
Originally published in the Chronicle Herald. by Jason Edwards Re: the Aug. 17 opinion piece, “Walk a mile in an employer’s shoes,” by Andy MacGregor, a self-described “second-generation business owner.” Mr. MacGregor’s piece is intended to undermine the recent report produced for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives by Acadia sociologist Rebecca Casey. The report compares…
Originally published in The Coast. By Lisa Cameron Lisa Cameron is a labour activist and organizing member of the Halifax Workers’ Action Centre. With low-wage and precarious work on the rise, many workers in Halifax are struggling to maintain decent employment while sustaining themselves and their families. For those without adequate wages and legal protection, addressing…
