Look who are getting raises ... eventually

NEWS RELEASE

ONTARIO MINISTRY OF LABOUR

************************* McGuinty government boosts minimum wage for students

Minimum wage for summer workers to start to increase 28 percent on March 31, 2008

QUEEN'S PARK, July 4 - The McGuinty government will begin raising the minimum wage for students by 28 percent over three years, starting on March 31, 2008, Minister of Labour Steve Peters said today.

"A summer job is a great way for young Ontarians to develop skills and gain valuable experience," said Peters. "It is also important for young people to be fairly rewarded for their hard work, and that is why we are raising the student minimum wage by 28 percent. We will be implementing this raise over three years so that businesses have the opportunity to adjust."

The new minimum wage will apply to students under 18 years of age working during a school holiday or working no more than 28 hours per week during the school year.

In addition to the raise for students, the current general minimum wage of $8.00 per hour will rise to $10.25 on March 31, 2010.

Amendments to Regulation 285/01 of the Employment Standards Act 2000 governing this and other related minimum wage categories have been made.

In addition to raising the minimum wage, the McGuinty government has taken a number of steps to help young workers protect their health and safety in the workplace, including:

- Producing and distributing several young worker safety 'tip sheets' since 2004, as well as the distribution of the tip sheet Protecting Yourself - Tips for Young Workers to over one million grade 7 to 12 students in the province

- Providing free workplace health and safety resources for teachers under the Live Safe! Work Smart! educationa program

- Revisions to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 poster to direct individuals to a new Young Workers section on the Ministry of Labour's website

- Working with the Minister's Action Group on Vulnerable Workers Under the Age of 25 to create recommendations on how to reach young workers who are outside the educational system

- Establishing WorkSmartOntario, an innovative and "youth friendly" website, to provide Ontario's young workers with the information they need to be safe at work

- Distributing Young Worker Health and Safety information kits to all MPPs in the province before the summer work season. "Not only must young workers be fairly rewarded for their work, they must be safe while working," Peters said. "The health and safety of Ontario's students is paramount.

That's why we've already done a number of things to make our young people safer, including distributing health and safety tip sheets to help make Ontario's students safer in their summer jobs."

*************************