2018.01 WOMEN AND PRECARIOUS EMPLOYMENT/ NON-STANDARD WORK
Whereas #1: An increasing number of workers are in precarious employment, poorly paid, insecure, unprotected and unable to support a household; and
Whereas #2: Statistics Canada reported in November 2017 that Canadians in their prime working years were less likely to hold full-time, year-round jobs: the percentage of men fell to 56.2 from 63.3 percent a decade earlier, and women fell to 43.7 from 46.4 percent, a clear indication of the rise of precarious employment that carries implications for household income, retirement savings, consumer spending and tax returns; and
Whereas #3: These workers are not protected from unacceptable practices such as being denied benefits like pensions, extended medical coverage and sick leave, and these jobs lack clear progression towards full-time work and job security; and
Whereas #4: Women account for 70% of part-time workers and 60% of minimum wage earners in Canada indicating that a robust gender-based analysis of trends is needed; and
Whereas #5: The health effects on workers and their families include high levels of stress related tensions and exhaustion, the constant search for new work, periods of unemployment, limited rights and access to traditional representation and gaps in healthcare because of a lack of health benefits; therefore be it
Resolved #1: That the National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC) adopt as policy that Canadians have an adequate income, fairness in the workplace and an end to precarious work; and be it further
Resolved #2: That NCWC urge the Government of Canada to take immediate action to develop policies to rectify the discrepancies between the standard employment model and “non-standard” employment with the objective to end precarious work and bring fairness to workplaces; and be it further
Resolved #3: That NCWC urge the Government of Canada to examine, through gender-based analysis, the over-representation of women in non-standard work and employment both in the public and private sectors; and be it further
Resolved #4: That NCWC urge the Government of Canada to encourage the provinces and territories to review practices in their jurisdictions related to precarious employment.