To ensure organisations respect workers rights and adhere to employment standards, the Canadian federal and provincial governments in the past thirty years have effected three main changes in the labour relations and Employment Standards Act namely: the labour market and gendered segmentation, and the flexibility for employer (Thomas, 2001, pp. 123-124 and Panitch & Swartz, 2003, pp. 184-186).
In order to create a regulatory mechanism on workers remuneration packages, durations of working; including overtime, and off duty payments; for example during vacations, the government enacted the Ontario Employment Standards Act (ESA) first, in 1968. This acts’ main aim was to provide a mechanism of appreciating workers’ efforts, even in overtime cases. Later on, to effect such changes the government adopted the Ontario Factories Act, Hours of Duty, ESA, and the Vacations with Pay Act. These acts’ main objectives were to ensure organisations adopted the full-time work concept in addition to ensuring that, organisations had the required flexibility in their operations, with minimum standards. To elaborate what this acts meant, the provincial minister of labour; Dalton Bales, stated that, this Acts were there to ensure organisations catered for all workers needs; even the low wage earners. However, it was important for organisations to maintain balance in their dealings as a primary mechanism of attracting more investors into the province and ensuring organisations maximised earnings. He further added that, adoption of such acts was just a mechanism of ensuring industries respected all vulnerable workers’ rights, and not as challenges to economic liberties (Thomas, 2001, pp. 125-126).
On the other hand, the primary goals behind such enactments were to ensure organisations accepted the full time employment concept as a legal issue, in the endeavour to eliminate “externalities” that resulted from long duty hours (Panitch & Swartz, 2003, pp. 188-189).
Such problems, as noted by the government, resulted due to high competition standards that existed in all industries, a fact that made most industries to downplay the idea of reducing working hours or increase wages for workers who were willing to work for more hours within short time spans. Hence, in the bid to ensure industries adopted the full employment concept, while maintaining their economic stability, the government had to affect these acts, forming a mechanism that differentiated it from its previous pre-war stat (Panitch & Swartz, 2003, 188-195).
It is important to note that, apart form ensuring employees had appropriate negotiating powers, the Employment Standard Act ensured that, their was reduction in unnecessary competition among industries; hence, benefiting industries too. To achieve this as argued by Thomas (2001, pp. 132-133) pages), the Canadian labour law’s main agenda is to minimise the gap, which may occur between the remuneration packages and working standards. He further adds that, in organised labour scenarios this is achievable thorough collective action, whereas in un-organised labour cases, the same is achievable through worker protections, which results from “un-healthy” competition between industry owners. In addition to this act, in an endeavour to eliminate the gender differentiation concept, which was prevalent in most industrial settings, in the year 1970, the government adopted gender legislation, geared at ensuring; regardless of sex, every individual had an equal employment right. Before the adoption of this act, organisations denied women chances of participating in well paying jobs, despite the fact that, most informal labour market’s populations comprises of women.
Generally, adoption of these acts is a great promoter of the currently existing flexibility in labour markets, although to some extent such legislations have had negative impacts on workers. Such impacts are prevalent in almost all governmental funded organisations where, they occur in form of contract conflicts, which are primary causers of many layoffs, pay controls, privatisation, forced collective contracts, struggles for allowances, and the many existing back-to-back laws. As Thomas (2001, p. 124) argues, such problems primary have resulted due to change in employments terms, a fact that affects workers’ work outcomes, due likelihoods of stress, job dissatisfaction, lack of motivation, and many work unrests (Thomas, 2001, pp. 129-130).
The decline in union density is the main cause of the currently existing reduction in union memberships. Whereby, such declines in density are primary causes of the widening gap among unionised and un-unionised members of the working class, a fact that has resulted due to many disagreements existing between different segments of individuals belonging to such organisation. In addition, such variations have led to the embracing of the class concept in work scenarios whereby, currently, there exist many class differentiations in almost all work scenarios. The main ideology behind such conflicts is the representation concept that is, who the worker organisations are supposed to represent and the maximum numbers of individuals to be represented on class terms. On the other hand, such withdraws have led to the diminishing bargaining power of many unions hence, leading to many worker problems existing currently (Yates, 2002, pp. 31-33).
Such diminishing powers are evident in Canada due to the increased concessions, two-tier contracts, shelf pacts, and diminishing pattern negotiations. In addition, such declines have resulted due to political influences on the labour market, which in most cases lacks the required support, due to sidelining in the main political factions and the general government. In addition, such effects are prevalent in the minimal achievements of the social democratic parties; politically, whereby, such minimal achievements make to lack the power of ending the antagonism faced by labour laws (Hyman, 2002, pp. 8-12).
It is important to note that, majority of the existing business unions have one mandate; to fight for only their members’ rights hence, lacking the all employees’ needs satisfaction concept. Such “narrowed” endeavours have resulted due to the post-war compromise hence, leading to the current minimal levels of collective bargaining. In addition, such narrowed bargaining power efforts resulted due to the fact that, majority of workers commended the adoption of a mass consumer base and materialism concept (Hyman, 2002, pp.36-38).
On the other hand, the economic crisis, which rocked the nation, might have been another cause of the crisis that led to the decline of unionism. Such failures might have also led to the failure by the unions to meet their main mandates, as concerns workers rights, hence leading to much antagonism from workers. It is important to note that, to some extent; exaggerated union demands can result in many job losses hence, making many individuals to question the validity and purpose of such unions, as concerns fighting for workers’ rights. This is the case primarily because; worker-representing organs should adopt a centralised leading mechanism, which utilises knowledge and appropriate expertise. Although Canadian unions embraced such concepts in the adopted service model; which the post-war compromise boosted, the model underpinned the collective power in most Canadian unions. Hence, leading to much antagonism and disengagement from them, causing their declining power (Hyman, 2002, pp. 12-13 & Yates, 2002, pp. 37-39)
Although these two terms employment strain and job strain relate to work demands, they are different in their real meaning. The former occurs due to stress and other work related health problems, which primarily result due to uncertainties associated with most jobs. This is the case in most job scenarios due to the fact that, most jobs lack the required security permanent jobs have, in terms of getting and maintaining them, a fact that makes most individuals to suffer from this form of strain (Jackson, 2004, pp. 107-109).”
Four main concepts make employment strain namely: the inability to predict employment relationships, employment relationship workload, family insecurity, and ties associated with employment support. The uncertainty in employment primarily centres on individual powers, when it comes to defining work control measures, formulation of work programs, admission into particular jobs, specifying work setting, and definition of future working term (primarily on working settings, remuneration packages, and specific stations of work). Employment relationship workload centres on the strain associated with job searching and the search for appropriate work balancing mechanisms, which support working in multiple organisations with varying employers. On the other hand, employment relationship support centres on the availability of help, in case it arises in normal working conditions, due to job problems. In addition, this concept is concerned with the presence of worker supporting organisations and the nature and amount of support such unions can offer. Finally, family security relates to amounts of benefits earned by an employee from a certain job, the family size, and nature of other benefits associated with specific job (Jackson, 2004, p.109-110).
Effects of job employment strain are prevalent in the Canadian citizenry more so on individuals who do specific chores namely: university, full-time, social, and homecare workers. This is the case due to the fact that, their jobs are the least and sometimes the most insecure. In addition, as proved by research findings, citizens with diverse jobs are the most insecure as compared to individual who have fulltime jobs. Such researchers also show that, such groups of individual with very precarious jobs have difficulties in getting and maintaining their employment status. On the other hand, homecare, university, and social workers have also the same employment problem, as compared to individuals with full-time occupation (Jackson, 2004, pp. 109-111).
Contrary to employment strain, job strain is associated with the workload, which individual must do. In addition, it depends on the level of control, which goes hand in hand with the level of accountability and responsibilities associated with specific jobs. This condition occurs in most work scenarios, where workers have few control powers over the nature of responsibility assigned to them; which at all times such employees must be take responsibility in their running. Such a case is prevalent in most production process, whereby individual must perform as dictated by rules, rather than personal feelings. Such scenarios are prevalent in Canada, hence leading to many work related injuries, health complications for example, cardiovascular complications, and mental problems. It is important to note that, Job strain lays little emphasis on the nature of relationships, which should exist in any production process hence, its association with numerous work problems (Jackson, 2004 , pp.112- 120) & Menzies, 2005, pp.126-132)
Spatial reorganisation is an organisational practise, which involves the positioning of different primary components of manufacturing in varying locations. One primary goal behind this practise is the mapping of division of labour in different regions, which are either international or regional. This practise embraces the production fragmentation concept, hence ensuring an organisation transfers its production equipments and labour. Spatial reorganisations can take many orientations for example, from organisation-to-organisation (either among nations of rural and urban areas) or within a nation.
One of the most common relocation practises includes the transfer of primary production components to areas organisations consider to have workers with low earnings, which may result due to lack or required expertise or labour. It is important to note that; this process primarily involves transfer from fully owned subsidiaries by organisations or individuals to other units of business commonly known as sub-contractors (Yates, 2003, pp. 98-103).
Because this process’ success depends on the available communication and transportation means, current technologies have really boosted its implementation. In addition, the adoption of the free trade pacts by many nations and organisations, have made the entire process to be easy, due to reduction of transfer and legalisation costs. On the other hand, due to its associated advantages, corporations within many developed countries have adopted this practise hence, in many ways boosting countries, which have less developments economically or areas within such developed countries that seem marginalised. This strategy is important to countries struggling to achieve industrialisation primarily because, through such transfers, such countries or areas receive products of industrialisation both technologically and in terms of expertise. In addition, this strategy is a great boost to production initiatives by organisations in that; the transfer process requires the use of specialisation and division of labour concepts for enhanced productivity (Yates, 2003, pp. 96-112).
On the other hand, the nature or spatial reorganisation orientations have undergone transformations whereby, instead of laying off unskilled workers, most organisations delegate simpler chores to this group of individuals hence, lessening the bulkiness of work done by skilled employees. Adoption of this like a process is one of the primary mechanisms, which most organisations use to minimise costs in their production processes hence, its great significance in business. Considering such advantages associated with this practise, majority of organisations adopt this practise to ensure they get full benefits from variations in labour and manufacturing markets. In addition, to some extent it is a mechanism of increasing revenue collection from any business undertaking, for it minimises expenses incurred by organisation to hire new workers, as it ventures into new markets. Although this practise has such associated advantages, it is important to note that, to some extent it has failed in ensuring job security. That is, in most industrialised countries, this process is a primary cause of de-industrialisation, when it comes to jobs in most firms, hence increasing job insecurity (Janelle, 2000, pp. 3-10)
Reference List
Hyman, R. (2002). The future of Unions. Just Labour, 1, 7-15. Web.
Jackson, A. (2004). The Unhealthy Canadian Work place. Web.
Janelle, D. D. (2000). Spatial re-organisation: a model and concept. Web.
Menzies, H. (2005). Stressed out and dreamless. Web.
Panitch, L., & Swartz, D. (2003). Neo-liberalism, Labour, and Canadian State. Web.
Thomas, M. (2001). Regulating flexibility: the case of Employment standards legislation in Ontario. Web.
Yates, C. A. (2002). Expanding labour horizons: union organising and strategic changes in Canada. Web.
Yates, M. D. (2003). Naming the system: inequality and work in the Global Economy: bad Jobs, Low Pay and Overwork. Web.