Restaurant owners in Alberta are now able to hire children as young as 12 without first getting provincial approval as a result of what government officials call a "procedural change" in employment practices...
The change, which took effect June 3, means that employers in the restaurant and food services industry can now hire children between the ages of 12 and 14 for their establishments without first getting a provincial permit.
The rule was also changed without any legislative debate.
An Alberta Labour Federation spokesman rightly points out the reason for the change:
"Restaurants, particularly fast food joints, are having a hard time finding people willing to work for the wages and conditions they put them in," he said. "So rather than take a good look at their wages and working conditions, they've decided to expand the pool they can delve into."
Now, this isn't an entirely new policy - the major change is that now there's no provincial approval required for such employees. But as pointed out by the AFL, the effect is that the province will now have no idea where 12-year-olds are working, making it virtually impossible to enforce special labour standards for young employees.
And of course, by making it easier for restaurants to hire children, this change also makes it less likely that they'll hire adults who likely have a greater need for the job, but who are also more likely to stand up to an employer if working conditions so warrant.
Of course, nobody will claim this is a surprising move from Klein. If anything, the surprise is that the AFL thinks that lobbying might be able to change it.
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