m Eliminate Racism

Terrace Racism Committee members Darlene Westerman, Liza Haldane, Maureen Bostock, Sasa Loggin and Erika Loggin show their support for the international day to eliminate racism (March 21) by tying a multi- coloured ribbon to their vehicle's aerial. The purpose of the campaign is to educate locals about racism and to urge people to help stop racial dis- crimination Ribbons are available at a various locations around town.

CHANGES ARE needed to employment insurance re- pulations to make them fairer for workers, particu- larly part time ones, says a local social services advo- cate.

Gerry King of Skeena Anti-Poverty says regula- tions introduced late in the last decade penalize in- stead of help people.

He’s calling for more

In particular, King says new regulations applying to part time workers in which hours are counted instead of work weeks for benefits are unfair,

“Coupled with in- creased eligibility require- ments for new entrants’ and te-entrants to the labour force, the changes make it mathematically impossible for the most vulnerable

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 15, 2000 - Al]

EI rule change wanted

part time workers — women, youth and new immigrants to ever qualify for EI if they are laid off during the first year of em- ployment,” said King.

King says part time workers simply cannot ac- cumulate enough hours to qualify for benefits yet they are required to pay the same scale of premi- ums as others,

Gerry King

Workers treated differently

WORKERS ON the $30 million road project to connect Kincolith, at the mouth of the Nass ‘River, - with the rest of the Nass Valley won’t come under the jurisdiction of a con- iroversial provincial gov- ernment employment pro- gram. The program requires _workers, if not already “union. members, to became members for the duration of large construction pro- jects: and requires contrac- tors to pay union wages and benefits, It’s run through the B.C.

Transportation Financing Authority, which borrows “money for the projects, and is managed through a subsidiary called Highway . Constructors Ltd.

The program does call for local hire, training and employment equity.

Instead, the Kincolith road workers will be paid _ according to a provincial fair wage schedule set up

in the last decade.

It applies to all provin- cial sector construction projects worth $250,000 or more. .

' The union membership and pay model kicks in for projects worth $30 million or more and that theoretic- ally would include the Kincolith project.

But the provincial gov- ernment is just one of three financiers of the pro- ject along with the federal government and _ the Nisga’a Tribal Council, says John Doyle of the transportation financing authority.

And because the pro- vincial portion consequ- ently is less than $30 mil- lion, the Highway Con- structors Ltd. model doesn’t apply, he said.

“Highway Constructors is not federally mandated. It applies only to provin- cial projects,” said Doyle.

He did acknowledge

might be to avoid the union pay-union member- ship provisions of the Highway Constructors model.

But Doyle added that while the provincial fair wage schedule is lower than that of Highway Con- structors union rates, the difference is minimal.

“They're very close,” he said.

The introduction of Highway Constructors last year on the $41 million, seven-year provincial gov- emment effort to improve the Nass Highway into and in the Nass Valley did cause concerns among valley residents.

They feared the union requirements would freeze out their participation. But that wasn’t the case.

Doyle noted that com- panies who want Kincolith road work will still have to meet local hire, training and employment equity goals.

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independence for boards of referees, those who hear employment insurance ap- peals. ;

“Like WCB, there needs to be a claimants advisor to provide free as- sistance,” King added.

He also feels rules automatically disqualify- ing those who leave a job without just cause or due to misconduct are tog harsh.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

UNBC

a

Vision

for the Year 2000

In the first few weeks of the Year 2000;

That’s brought about the idea of large companies Striking partnership arran- gements with Nass Valley- owned enterprises.

Doyle said the impor- tant thing is to get a road to Kincolith built to con- nect it with the rest of the provincial highway system.

Access now is limited to air or by a ferry connec- tion to Prince Rupert or by boats travelling the Nass River to Greenville.

eA kk

The provincial fair wage schedule for a la- bourer calls for a minimum $19.90 an hour.

The Highway Construc- tors schedule lists a varie- ty of labourer positions in and around that rate.

' UNBC hosted a ground-breaking provincial niral health conference

* A$72 million expansion to the Laboratory was announced

» The men's basketball team achieved — a national ranking

* Anew regional office was unveiled in Terrace

Watch for more developments in 2000

Contact us for a copy of the new Annual Report

Office of Communications

(250) 960-5620 communications@unbc.ca

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