CHANGES TO LABOUR STANDARDS REGULATIONS ANNOUNCED

Labour Minister Bob Mitchell said today that changes have been made to
the regulations of the Labour Standards Act which clarify their
application to care providers and domestic workers. Care providers who
go into people's homes will once again be exempted from minimum wage,
hours of work, overtime and notice provisions of the Act. Care
providers and domestic workers who live in the home of their employer
will be covered by all provisions of the Act except overtime.

"In recent weeks we have heard from a number of parents about the
problems resulting from the application of labour standards to care
providers coming into their homes," Mitchell said. "We are responding
to their concerns by limiting the application of minimum wage and other
provisions of The Labour Standards Act to care providers who live in
the home of their employer.

"Everyone that we have heard from on this issue agrees that looking
after children is important work which should be highly valued. We
have to balance those views with what we have heard about the ability
of parents to pay and the availability of affordable alternatives.

"After a thorough review we have concluded that the regulations must be
changed to set out more clearly where the minimum wage and other
provisions of the legislation apply. We have decided to draw the line
at live-in care providers," Mitchell said.

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Regina Phone: (306) 787-6349