
Bob Barnetson
Dr. Bob Barnetson is a professor of labour relations at Athabasca University. His research focuses on the political economy of workplace injury, farm workers, and child labour in Alberta. He’s the author of The Political Economy of Workplace Injury in Canada (Athabasca University Press, 2010), co-editor of Farm Workers in Western Canada: Injustices and Activism (University of Alberta Press, 2016), co-author of Health and Safety in Canadian Workplaces (Athabasca University Press, 2016), and author of Canada’s Labour Market Training System (Athabasca University Press, 2018).
Authored by Bob Barnetson
Five ways Alberta can improve its regressive labour laws
blog | Nov 25, 2015Alberta’s regressive labour laws have played an important role in making Alberta the least unionized province in Canada. Athabasca University associate professor of labour relations Bob Barnetson outlines five potential changes that could ensure workers in the province can exercise their associational rights.
Illegal and Injurious: How Alberta Has Failed Teen Workers
research | Sep 08, 2015Most Albertans will hold a job at some point during their teen years. Yet teens employed in Alberta face widespread illegality and injury on the job, and Alberta does not effectively enforce the employment laws that are supposed to protect teen workers, including the Employment Standards Code and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
A Dirty Business: The Exclusion of Alberta Farm Workers From Injury Compensation
research | Jan 15, 2015Alberta farm workers are excluded from workers' compensation protection, despite facing a high risk of workplace injury, including developing occupational cancer. This report examines why the Alberta government continues this exclusion.
On the Job: Why Unions Matter in Alberta
research | May 21, 2014By focusing on the impact of unions in the areas of wages, worker safety, and income inequality, this report documents the contributions of the labour movement to ensuring the well-being of all Albertans.
Making It Home: Alberta Workplace Injuries and the Union Safety Dividend
research | Sep 26, 2013This fact sheet highlights the true rates of workplace injury in Alberta and demonstrates how unions protect workers both from unsafe workplaces and a government keen to downplay the risks.