The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act in the Populist Moment

• In-person event
• 303 , Paterson Hall , Carleton University
• 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6

The Institute of Political Economy invites all to attend a panel on June 13th 2018, featuring Visiting Professor Mark Thomas and Karen Cocq of Fight for $15 Fairness. The presentation will consider the implications of right-wing populism for the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act 2017 specifically, and for employment conditions in Ontario more generally.

Mark Thomas

Visiting Professor, Institute of Political Economy

Department of Sociology, and Director, Global Labour Research Centre, York University

Karen Cocq

Organizer, Fight for $15 & Fairness, Workers’ Action Centre

The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act in the Populist Moment

In November 2017, the Government of Ontario passed the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, which introduced a number of improvements to provincial employment standards legislation that are designed to respond to growing conditions of precarious employment. Notably, the Act included commitments to both raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by January 2019 and to ensure equal pay for equal work regardless of differences in employment status. However, its implementation comes at a time of growing support for right-wing populist politics, both within and beyond Ontario. While generally framed as a politics of anti-elitism, contemporary right-wing populism nonetheless maintains a neoliberal framework that supports the interests of economic elites, with right-wing populist politicians regularly advocating for legislative changes that undermine workplace protections and workers’ rights. This presentation considers the implications of right-wing populism for the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act 2017 specifically, and for employment conditions in Ontario more generally. The presentation also explores the potential for building movements to counter right-wing populism and promote better conditions of work for workers in precarious jobs.