John Patino speaks out… I was working as a handyman for a cleaning company. All of my paycheques were for the same amount of hours, but every cheque would have different deductions. I regularly asked my boss to pay me with the correct deductions. But the same thing kept happening. Based on this I told my boss that I was not working with an honest person. My boss terminated me for asking for my rights. Despite the fact that we had an agreement that he would give me 15 days of notice if my job were to end, he terminated me with no notice.
I made a complaint to the Ministry of Labour to fight for my rights. The Ministry of Labour told the employer to pay me what he owed me – termination pay and for all the incorrect deductions he made, and also that there would be a penalty issued against the company.
My message is for all the workers in Canada – we all have to make our rights count. We can’t stay quiet. We have to find organizations like WAC that can help us find our rights. But these companies that do not follow the law, they also have to face real consequences for their actions.