B.C. to study piece rates
The Canadian Press - Jul 16, 2018 - BC Biz
Image: The Canadian Press
The provincial government wants to study agriculture piece rates and minimum wages for farm workers who harvest crops by hand.
The province has hired UBC agricultural economist Karen Taylor to expand on the Fair Wages Commission, which didn’t cover piece rates. B.C.’s piece rate system has been in place for nearly 40 years and is unique to Canada. Fruit pickers, for example, are paid by the volume of crops they pick instead of by an hourly rate.
Taylor is expected to speak with farm workers and employers, who weren’t part of the Fair Wages Commission because it was conducted after last year’s harvest.
Piece rates are going to increase 11.9 per cent on Jan. 1, 2019.
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