With approximately 400 job vacancies in town and no one to fill them it appears some employers are getting desperate enough to allegedly break the law.
During a collaborative action team meeting last week it was brought up children as young as 10 are allegedly working in the community, which, if proven true, would be illegal in Alberta.
鈥淚t was mentioned that there are kids in Grade 5 working in our community. That should be a huge concern because it鈥檚 illegal for children to work under 12 years old in any job beyond a lemonade stand,鈥� said Ginette Marcoux, executive director for the Jasper Employment and Education Centre.
Marcoux was not in attendance for the meeting, but was alerted to the issue by Community Outreach Services, which organized the meeting on June 15. Marcoux was also given a copy of the minutes, however it鈥檚 not clear which businesses may be in violation of the law.
According to Alberta Labour, the law does not currently prohibit the employment of children who are 10 or 11, however it would only be possible with the consent of a parent or guardian and approval from Employment Standards, a provincial agency.
鈥淓mployment Standards has no valid permits in place for the employment of youth under 12, so if someone is doing so they are in contravention of the code,鈥� wrote Jay Fisher, a public affairs officer for the provincial agency.
鈥淚f anyone suspects that youth are being employed without consent and approval from government, they should contact Employment Standards at 1-877-427-3731 and we will investigate.鈥�
The Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce declined to comment on the situation until it could get more information.
Marcoux said she was very concerned about the allegations and took the opportunity to remind employers there are also strict labour codes in place for adolescent employees between the age of 12 and 14.
鈥淭hey must not work past nine o鈥檆lock at night, they must be in constant supervision of an adult, they can not work around grills, fryers, slicers or knives and they can not handle alcohol,鈥� said Marcoux. 鈥淧arents have to also give written consent for children to work in those workplaces.鈥�
Currently 12 year olds are only allowed to do a limited number of light jobs with parental or guardian consent such as delivering newspapers, working as a clerk in a retail store or light duties at a restaurant such as acting as a host, cashier, dishwasher, table busser, server or food assembler.
Employers who hire adolescents aged 12 to 14 to work in a restaurant must also complete a safety checklist that is signed by a parent or guardian and sent to Employment Standards.
The law also prohibits 12-year-olds from working during school hours or doing more than two hours of work on a school day and they cannot work more than eight hours on a non-school day. They are also not allowed to work between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, said he was very concerned about the reports.
鈥淭his is very troubling news. Just because employers are having a hard time filling positions doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 acceptable for them to hire children,鈥� said McGowan.
鈥淭he bottom line is children are vulnerable in the workplace partly because of their inexperience, partly because they don鈥檛 know their rights and partly because they are less likely than adolescents and adults to stand up for themselves.鈥�
He urged anyone who is concerned that employers may be violating the law to contact the labour minister.
鈥淭here are reasons why child labour is prohibited. We simply can鈥檛 let the narrow interests of business people trump the broader public interest,鈥� said McGown. 鈥淚f there are employers in Jasper or any part of the province that are ignoring those laws they should face the consequences.鈥�
Marcoux echoed his concerns.
鈥淲e know that workplace accidents are very high for that demographic.鈥�
According to a study from Athabasca University, nearly 50 per cent of adolescents between 12 and 14 reported at least one work-related injury in 2011/2012.
鈥淭he study also reports that there is widespread non- reporting of workplace injuries for this target group, that there is ineffective hazard identification and safety training for this group and they are often treated like adults because they are in an adult workplace setting, but they really shouldn鈥檛 be so they may need addition training,鈥� said Marcoux.
On June 6 the province passed new legislation that will make it illegal to hire youth under the age of 13, with the exception of artistic endeavours such as a theatre production. The new rules also include a list of 鈥渓ight work鈥� adolescents under the age of 16 will be able to do, such as food service like setting up tables, golf caddying or tutoring.
The changes will come into effect on January 1, 2018.
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
