SLO:I can understand the purpose of unions and statutes that protect worker’s rights.
Where a union exists in a workplace, the nature of the employment contract changes, from a contract between individual employee and individual employer, to that of collective agreement between the employees as an associated grouping and the employer. In Saskatchewan, approximately one in three workers belong to a union. A union represents the employee as the exclusive bargaining agent, negotiating a collective agreement with the employer governing rates of pay, working conditions and benefits of employees belonging to the union. The rules for setting up and operating a union are defined within The Trade Union Act. Union contracts generally provide benefits in employment standards beyond the minimum provisions applicable according to statute law.
Along with the provisions of The Labour Standards Act, The Occupational Health and Safety Act and The Trade Union Act, Saskatchewan workplaces are regulated under the terms and conditions of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, which identifies employment as one of the protected grounds under which discrimination is unlawful. As well, the Code identifies prohibited actions and protected categories under which discrimination is unlawful, with many of the categories frequently relating to workplace situations. These include freedom from: sexual harassment racial harassment
As well, the Code protects individuals from discrimination on the basis of : ancestry, race or perceived race religion sex marital status disability nationality and place of origin age ( ) sexual orientation family status receipt of public assistance.
Employers can not discriminate on these grounds during the hiring process or during employment. This applies to interviews, advertising, application forms, hiring, wages, promotions, dismissals and employee benefits. The Canadian Human Rights Code provides similar protections for people working for, or applying to work for, industries that are federally regulated.