Why FETCO
FETCO covers a wide area within the federal jurisdiction. Its members are both individual employers and employer associations, large organizations and small ones, both unionized and non-unionized companies, and cover both industrial as well as office environments.FETCO involves itself in labour issues with the widest possible definition: these include industrial relations, occupational safety and health, labour standards, human rights, pay equity, employment equity, privacy, pensions and workers compensation. Where warranted, because of its impact on the federally regulated sector, FETCO will participate in provincial issues. In addition FETCO has also had dealings in such international areas as the ratification of ILO conventions.
Since its creation, the depth and breadth of FETCO's interventions have increased significantly. Twenty years ago, legislative amendment in areas of interest to FETCO was relatively rare. Development of regulations was an infrequent occurrence. Now, not only is legislation more complex but there is a great deal more of it and it changes more frequently.
In the past few years not only have we seen the introduction of PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) but we have also had legislative reviews in the areas of industrial relations, safety and health, labour standards, human rights, employment equity and pay equity. Some of these reviews resulted in legislative change. FETCO was actively involved in promoting employer interests in every aspect of these government initiatives. No other employer group participated to the extent FETCO did or has had as much impact on the development of public policy.