SFL Puts Spotlight On Native Unemployment Rates

SFL Puts Spotlight On Native Unemployment Rates

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 at 14:08

The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour wants the provincial government to put more emphasis on fighting racism in the workplace.

President Larry Hubich says certain provincial policies could be re-written and positively impact Aboriginal unemployment rates, which he notes are three times higher than the national average.

One of those changes Hubich and his group have been repeatedly calling for is the elimination of the northern overtime exemption that’s in place in communities outside of La Ronge, Uranium City and Creighton.

Hubich says that piece of legislation is “from the Dark Ages” and should be scrapped.

He also encourages the province to improve its efforts in making sure the workforce is representative of the population. Hubich notes some of the government’s Aboriginal Employment Development Agreements have been a success, while others have been ineffective.

Hubich also feels the Aboriginal community could further help itself gain a better foothold in the workforce by embracing unions.