A number of Labour Studies courses deal very specifically with human rights. Human Rights at Work (LABR 3230) explores basic human rights protections in Canadian workplaces and rights are also central part of Labour and Community Organizing (LABR3080) and Global Sweatshops, Global Struggles (LABR3220).
Significantly, Labour Studies has a long-standing relationship with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, where the department have placed a number of students over many years in field placements. Labour Studies students have completed a number of research projects at Human Rights, all of which have been integrated into their permanent archive, presented at conferences, or used to improve their program design and delivery.
For more information, including registration details, contact the Labour Studies department.
Human rights are part of the regular curricula of the following Labour Studies courses:
Human Rights at Work (LABR 3230)
This course is an introduction to the basic human rights protections in Canadian workplaces that have developed as a result of collective bargaining, human rights legislation, The Charter of Rights and Freedoms and decisions of courts and tribunals. The course will also examine the concept of human rights on a broader, international and national level
Employment Legislation and the Protection of Workers (LABR 3130)
An examination of the legal rights and obligations of workers and employers, and the enforcement mechanisms for the non-unionized workplace, over the course of the employment relationship from hiring through to termination or retirement. Special emphasis will be placed on statutory and common law, personal employment contracts, wrongful and constructive dismissal, human rights legislation and jurisprudence.
Issues in Occupational Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation (LABR 3050)
This course will explore historical, legal and political issues surrounding health and safety in Canadian workplaces with an emphasis on Manitoba. It will critically examine both the Workers’ Compensation and the Workplace Health and Safety systems as they currently exist and review the role of workers, employers, unions and government in these processes. It will investigate various challenges and emerging issues in health and safety including but not limited to industrial disease, gender concerns, precarious employment and globalization.
Workplace Health and Safety (LABR 3060)
An introduction to occupational health, industrial hygiene and industrial safety emphasizing the impact of chemical hazards on the body, the measure and control of hazards and the causes and prevention of industrial accidents.
Labour Relations and Occupational Health and Safety Law (LABR 3070)
The economic costs of workplace injuries and sickness; the history of occupational health and safety laws and their implementation; the history and functions of workers’ compensation; collective bargaining on health and safety.
Labour and Community Organizing (LABR 3080)
This course examines the theory and practice of collaborative community and labour organizing, with particular emphasis on Latin America, to identify the strengths and limitations of this approach for reviving unions, protecting workers’ rights and advancing social justice.
Global Sweatshops, Global Struggles (LABR 3220)
This course explores the past and present of sweated work in various industries in the Global North and South. We explore circumstances that support sweatshops, including off-shoring and the new international division of labour; migrant, child and female labour forces; global supply chains and the role of retailers and contractors. We also compare and evaluate strategies to eliminate sweatshops, including NGO activities, government regulations, consumer boycotts and the international labour, student and social justice movements.
Racism and Work (LABR 3400)
This course explores three central questions: What are racism and colonialism? How do racism and colonialism shape work in Canada? What strategies exist for combating racism at work, and which are most effective?