Manitoba labour groups fear province's review could mean apprentices won't see expected wage hike
Province says wage review was prompted by industry groups concerned about surge in cost of labour
Two Manitoba labour groups say they're concerned the provincial government's current review of minimum wages for apprentices could leave the door open to lower rates for those workers.
The Manitoba Federation of Labour and Manitoba Building Trades — which represents 10,000 construction and trades workers through 13 member unions — say the wages for the vast majority of apprentices in the province are tied to the provincial minimum wage.
When the provincial minimum wage goes up, as it is scheduled to do in April and again in October, the minimum wage for these trades goes up accordingly.
There are currently 55 designated trades in Manitoba that are administered by Apprenticeship Manitoba, a provincial website says, and trade-specific wage rates are directly linked to the provincial minimum wage for 26 of those trade regulations.
However, the labour groups say the language in the government's current consultation on trade-specific apprentice wages suggests the expected minimum wage increase for those workers may not take place.
"Slashing wages for apprentices will do nothing to solve Manitoba's skilled labour shortage," said Manitoba Federation of Labour president Kevin Rebeck at a Wednesday news conference.
"It will drive young people to other provinces to seek training and build their careers there."
Tanya Palson, the executive director of Manitoba Building Trades, accused the Progressive Conservative government of trying to pinch pennies.
"When demand for skilled labour is this high, it could not be a worse time to restrict wages," she said at Wednesday's news conference.
"The government should be incentivizing individual participation in apprenticeship, not looking for loopholes and minimum wage law in order to save on labour costs."
A government spokesperson in an email that the review was launched at the request of some employers and industry representatives. It's intended to understand the impact of the provincial minimum wage increase, which will affect apprentice minimum wage rates, the spokesperson said.
The provincial minimum wage is currently $13.50 per hour, set to increase to $14.15 on April 1, and to $15 in October.
Some of the people who requested the review have expressed concerns that there will be increased labour costs due to the provincial minimum wage hike, according to the spokesperson, as minimum wages for apprentices in about half of trades are tied to a percentage of the provincial minimum wage.
The province says its Apprenticeship and Certification Board is looking to establish minimum wage rates that are fair and equitable for both employers and apprentices.
The spokesperson says there are instances where the minimum wage rate for apprentices is more than that of a journeyperson (someone who has completed an apprenticeship), and the department is seeking to create a system that is consistent across the trades.
But Rebeck says the government has previously taken steps to weaken apprenticeship training, diminishing safety protections and training by changing the apprentice-to-journeyperson ratio from 1 to 1 to 2 to 1.
The province also eliminated requirements for apprentices to be employed on provincial construction projects and continued to freeze the budget for apprentice seats, he said.
The government spokesperson says there is no evidence the 2 to 1 apprentice-to-journeyperson ratio leads to safety issues, as employers are still required to abide by legislation that prescribes safety requirements employers must enforce.