By: Rene,Brianna,Nicole,Autumn.

Is there a law that protects workers rights?

There are multiple acts that protect workers rights;
1. Employment Standards Act,
2.
3.
4.
5.

payment of wages, minimum wage, hours of work, overtime, vacation, public

holidays, retail workers, benefit plans, pregnancy and paternal leave, personal emergency leave, family caregiver leave, family medical leave, critically ill
child care leave, organ donor leave, reservist leave, equal pay for equal work, etc.

Canadian Human Rights Act, ages, wages, rights, etc.

Canada Labour Code, wages, leaves, hours of work, equality, holidays, overtime, etc.
Employment Equity Act, Canadian forces, equity regulations, etc.
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, equal pay for equal work, right to work, right
to refuse work, right to join unions, right to work without discrimination, ets.

Is It A Federal Or Provincial Law?

It is both, but only over specific jobs is it covered by federal law. Banks, marine shipping, ferry and port services,
air transportation, including airports, aerodromes and airlines, railway and road transportation that involves crossing
provincial or international borders, canals, pipelines, tunnels and bridges (crossing provincial borders), telephone,
telegraph and cable systems, radio and television broadcasting, grain elevators, feed and seed mills, uranium mining and
processing, businesses dealing with the protection of fisheries as a natural resource, many First Nation activities ,most
federal Crown corporations, private businesses necessary to the operation of a federal act are all under the Federal
Employee's Law. If you do not work for any of these, your Provinces Ministry of Labour decides on your rights.

Provincial laws cover most of the other jobs within Canada; such as the fast food industry and clothing
businesses within the province, as well as grocery stores. Sometimes the government may have to step in
with this a little bit, possibly due to new regulations passed for health and safety for the betterment of
Canadian citizens and the public's health. Where they may not be a major concern to Canada as a whole, but
only the province. If it becomes a severe enough problem, then that's when the government steps into play.

Are the laws different in different industries?

The laws affect all industries the same, however, businesses will have their own take on some of the laws. In
some places starting wage in minimum wage, whereas in others it could be $18/hr. Some businesses will allow
only the minimum amount of sick days, vacation, paternal or any other leave, and some will allow more. For the
laws that cover workers rights in regard to equality and equity, it is the same for all industries no matter what
it is. There are different regulations for different industries because of the differences in work. For example, if
you work as a chef, you have to keep everything sanitary and safe, whereas if you work in an oil field, there is
only so much that can be kept sanitary but everything has to be kept safe. Different industries will also have
different practices when training new employees or cross-training older employees. At Galaxy Cinemas, you have
two classroom sessions, online training and two on-till training sessions with a team leader or manager helping
you. In other places you could learn just by being thrown in and no training, or be given a ten minute this-is-howit-works speel. It just depends on the company.

Who ensures these rights?

The Minister of Labour ensures that this law is carried throughout Canada and is met by the needs of all of
the employers hiring new staff into their company. If they do not meet the specific needs outlined by
Employers rights, they will be punished, for the severity of their crime which is determined by court and
they are fined and forced to pay the worker the amount suitable to what they have done.
If it is a much larger problem than just the company itself; but the whole franchise, then the Federal
Government may have to step into this matter and help ensure that this does not happen again. If it
continues, then the matter is much bigger than they had thought and they will take matters into their own
hands.

Are there penalties if these rights are violated?

Some penalties may include:

Criminal penalties (when there is a pattern or violation against this law;

consequence is determined by the severity of the violation.)
A court order to pay back the individual discriminated against in what the
worker feels is unjust.
Civil fine given to the employer for what they have done wrong.

What It Does Not Cover

Your employer does not have to provide a reason for ending your employment but it cannot be for such things as:
Asking about your Employment Standards rights (reprisal)
Refusing to work in excess of the daily and weekly hours of work maximums.

Workplace Warning Signs:

Not getting paid on time

No pay stub ( transaction of paycheck to your account )

Not paid for extra hours worked

No time to eat or have a break

No public holiday pay or payment for extra work

Unexplained deductions from your paycheck or other payments

Some jobs have special rules or exemptions from Employers Rights in specific areas, due to different needs to be qualified into
this job category.
1.

If your employer does not give a reason for your termination, you can go to unions or other alike organizations and they can get the reason for your termination.