Working women in Alberta have little to celebrate almost 100 years afterthe founding of International Women’s Day. Alberta has the lowestminimum wage and the lowest rate of unionization in Canada. The vastmajority of working women in Alberta work in the service sector, in lowpaid jobs, with no benefits. Most of these jobs pay 50cents above the minimum wage of $6 per hour. Worse yet, low paid workers inAlberta are taxed by the government, which forces them to pay health carepremiums.

In the past decade the government has removed 71,000 Albertans from socialassistance, freezing the social assistance rates well below the nationalpoverty level forcing these workers into low-paying jobs. The majority ofthose affected by the government’s so-called “Work for Welfare” program havebeen women. This same government has clawed back federal fundingfor those on AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) and federal child tax credit funding for low incomeAlbertans.

Day-care workers in Alberta, who must spend two years in training, end upworking for minimum wage with no benefits, in an industry where unions arefew and far between. In Fort McMurray, the oil boom has not trickled down tothese workers, who must pay sky high rents and food costs while trying tomake ends meet.

The majority of women workers in Alberta, have no on-site child careprovided by the employer, leaving them with the burden of paying forday care. But publicly funded day cares are rare, as thegovernment promotes privatized child care by funding non-trained homebased babysitting services, with federal funding that was earmarked forcreating day-care services.

It is time that working Alberta families got a break from this government,like its business pals have.

It is time for:

  • a living wage for all working Albertans;
  • a minimum of $10 per hour, reviewed annually for cost of livingadjustments;
  • a full benefits program: extended disability, dental, eye andhearing, extended hospitalization coverage, paid for jointly by thegovernment and business.

This living wage and benefits program should apply toboth part-time and full-time workers in Alberta. Health carepremiums, which are an unfair tax on all working Albertans, should be eliminated. There should be an end togovernment-funded “babysitting” services, and the creation of day-carefacilities in the community and work place, jointly funded by thegovernment and business.

If all this were accomplished, perhaps by next year, Alberta working women and their families would have something to celebrate on International Women’s Day.