Government of Canada Announces Economic Relief Plan

The Government of Canada is rolling out its Economic Action Plan. NSSC wants to ensure that employers and employees are aware of the programs and measures that may be available.

KEEPING CANADIANS WORKING: New Improvements to Work-Sharing Program

The Government of Canada introduced its Economic Action Plan to assist Canadians during the global recession and invest in Canada's long-term growth. As part of this plan, the Government is investing an unprecedented $8.3 billion in the Canada Skills and Transition Strategy (CSTS) to support workers and their families, including measures for income support and skills and training. A number of labour market policies and programs are being adjusted to temporarily provide additional support to workers and the unemployed facing transitions in these tough economic times.

Included in the CSTS are improvements to the Work-Sharing Program.Work-Sharing is an Employment Insurance (EI) program that assists businesses experiencing a temporary slowdown caused by factors beyond their control. It is designed to avoid layoffs by offering EI income benefits to qualifying workers willing to work a reduced work-week while their employer recovers.

Work-sharing represents a win-win situation. Employers can retain employees and avoid expensive re-hiring and re-training costs, and employees are able to continue working and keep their skills up to date.

The Government has extended work-sharing agreements to a maximum of 52 weeks to allow companies a longer time to recover. The Government is increasing access to Work-Sharing agreements through greater flexibility in the qualifying criteria and streamlining processes for employers. For example, the Government is easing the requirements for the employer> ' s recovery plan. Due to the uncertainties arising from the current economic downturn, the policy recognizes that employers may not be able to articulate specific timelines or benchmarks related to recovery. In addition, the government is committed to reducing the paper burden for businesses involved in work sharing, making it easier for them to do business.

The Government has taken action to drastically reduce the waiting time between agreements. Employers who participated in a Work-Sharing agreement which ended prior to February 1, 2009, are immediately eligible to apply for a new extended agreement involving the same employees, without a waiting period between agreements.

These changes will permit more employers to avoid lay-offs while their industry recovers from the recession, thus minimizing the financial impact on workers and the communities they live in. The Government knows that by keeping Canadians working, we can minimize the impact of this difficult economic time.

Implementation:

The changes were effective as of February 1, 2009 and will continue until April 3, 2010. Implementation will begin immediately.

For more information:

Call 1-866-891-5319 (TTY: 1-800-926-9105)

Click on www.servicecanada.gc.ca

To remain competitive in today’s market it is very important that Canadian companies use every resource that they have, including their number one resource - people.

The National Seafood Sector Council (NSSC) has developed an "Introduction to Continuous Improvement & Productivity Training" workshop for the food processing industry that can impact all occupations within a processing facility, ranging from the plant floor to senior management. A vital component of the introductory workshop is the examination of various ways to implement a team approach when considering lean initiatives in the workplace.