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May 9 2003 - The British Columbia Teachers' Federation has called on the B.C. provincial government to reverse its plan to change the child labour laws so that employers can hire children as young as 12 with nothing more than a note from their parents.

"Elsewhere in the world governments are working to eradicate the problem of child labour, but the B.C. Liberals are taking our province in the opposite direction," said Neil Worboys, president of the B.C. Teachers' Federation. "Children will suffer, and their education will suffer."

At present, employers who want to recruit children aged under 15 must get permission from the director of the Employment Standards Branch. Under Bill 37, the proposed amendments to the Employment Standards Act, employers would only need a note from a parent or guardian to hire children between the ages of 12 and 15. The branch would no longer regulate child employment, nor would it have the capacity to monitor workplaces. Employers would be allowed to be self-policing.

"These changes are clearly designed to benefit employers, not children," Worboys said. "They will grant business greater access to a pool of young, inexperienced workers who cannot command a decent wage and who will be less likely to stand up for their rights."

He added that it was no coincidence that changes to child labour laws were being introduced just as the Liberal funding freeze had caused some school boards to cut the school week down to four days. "They're taking away 20% of students' class time and opening the market for adolescents in McJobs. It's shameful!" he said.

Teachers are also worried that reducing the age of employability will put many youth at risk, especially children from low-income families that are already under increased strain. "These students will be at greater risk of exploitation on the job or even of dropping out of school because of increased pressure to help augment the family income," Worboys said.

"This government made massive cuts to welfare and family services, reduced the minimum wage, weakened union and WCB protection, and now it wants to put students as young as Grade 6 out to work! It's a huge step backwards - one that could have disastrous consequences for children," Worboys warned.

Neil Worboys further urged parents and teachers to contact Labour Minister Graham Bruce immediately and demand that he put a stop to these proposed changes, for the sake of children's education, health, and well-being.