With today’s announcement, this government can make good on it’s promise to modernize employment laws to reflect today’s economic reality. This is particularly urgent for Toronto where nearly half of all workers are in short-term, part-time or precarious employment.
Too many workers are not protected by existing laws – certain sectors are intentionally exempted from current legislation, and huge numbers of workers are not covered by basic minimum wage, vacation and overtime protections. Workers who have been misclassified by their employers as independent contractors lose their legal protection as well as their entitlements to Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan. Still others fall through the cracks because multiple employers dictate the terms and conditions of work, yet such employers are not jointly responsible for protecting workers.
As this review gets underway, WAC and its allies will ensure that the voices of workers trapped in low wage and precarious work are heard – and that we can indeed bring fairness back to our workplaces.
For further information, read WAC’s Press Release of February 17, 2015.
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