REGINA - Saskatchewan's highest court has dismissed, for the second time, an appeal of firings at the province's labour relations board. Labour Minister Don Morgan was pleased with the decision that came after five years of legal wrangling. "It's usual when a government changes, especially in our province, that people in boards such as the labour relations board, would be replaced," Morgan said Tuesday.

New claims for US unemployment insurance benefits fell last week but remained in the same range of recent months as the jobs market slowly improves, official data released Thursday showed. Initial jobless claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, fell by 11,000 to 346,000 in the week ending June 1, the Labor Department said. The reading for the week, which included the Memorial Day public holiday, was slightly below analyst estimates of 348,000. The department revised the prior week's number higher to 357,000.

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The labor minister proposed Monday that the management, labor and government hold a meeting to discuss a highly controversial issue of whether bonuses should be included in the "ordinary wages" of workers. Ordinary wages refer to payments in addition to one's salary that include overtime, holiday shifts, paid annual leave, severance and other allowances. Much attention has recently been given to the inclusion or exclusion of regular bonuses due to the financial impact that the definition could have on companies.

REGINA - The Saskatchewan government has passed a labour act melding 12 pieces of legislation into one omnibus law that allows for more flexible work hours, shortens the qualifying time for parental leave and ensures disabled people can't be paid less than minimum wage. But the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour says it's rife with loose ends, waters down current labour standards and undermines bargaining rights.