Looking at employment standards, OHS, labour relations
Alberta’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will be starting the next phase of consultations with the farm and ranch sector on the Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act.
Members have been selected for six working groups that will develop recommendations on how employment standards, occupational health and safety, and labour relations requirements should be applied — given the unique needs of employers and employees in the agriculture sector.
“We know we can make workplaces safer. We’ve seen the rates of farm fatalities and serious injuries go down when laws to protect farm and ranch employees were introduced in other jurisdictions. Legislation works. That’s why we are eager to begin this process to provide input from a broad and diverse range of voices from the farming and ranching sector,” said Oneil Carlier, minister of agriculture and forestry.
Each working group is chaired by an independent and impartial individual with demonstrated mediation, consensus and board governance experience. Members were selected from a process that included nearly 250 submissions from the agricultural sector, labour groups and technical experts, said the government.
The first meetings will be held in mid-June.
Producers who are members of agricultural commissions and marketing boards can also provide their input and feedback through their organization.
Additional information, including the full list of working groups, members and chairs, is available online on the Farm and Ranch Workplace Legislation website.
