The Importance of the Labour Movement in Nova Scotia Throughout history, Canadian employees have experienced low wages, unfair treatment in the workplace, unsafe working conditions and lacked many basic rights. Many events in the past 140 years have helped shaped the work environment of today into a much better place. The labour movement is very important. We will explore what events transpired to help this occur as well as why the labour movement is important.
Beginning in 1872, the Toronto Typographical Union went on strike, which eventually lead to the legalization of unions and the official recognition of Labour Day as a national holiday.
In 1900, the Federal Department of Labour was established, putting William Lyon MacKenzie King as the first Minister of Labour. This is an important event as this department was responsible for key decisions and was the go-to department when problems arose.
In 1914, the Workmen’s Compensation Act was established in Toronto. This is a major event in history as prior to this, employees would sue their employers if they were injured on the job. From this day forward, employees give up their right to sue in exchange for compensation. This creates a much less hostile environment and reduces stress for both the employer and employee.
In 1967, public service workers (with the exception of RCMP and military) acquired collective bargaining rights as a result of a strike held by the Canadian Union of Postal workers. This allowed workers to negotiation for wages as well as benefits; an important right that we take for granted today.
Finally, in 1972, the Occupational Health Act was passed. This included 3 key points: “The right to know about hazards and dangers in the workplace. The right to participate in health and safety issues through a workplace committee and the right to refuse unsafe work.”
Why are all of these events