Workers Action Centre

Organizing for Fair Employment

Know Your Rights!

The Workers’ Action Centre phone line is open 3 days per week. If you have a workplace problem, please call us at 416-531-0778 (Toll-free: 1-855-531-0778), and leave a message asking to speak to someone in your language. All support from the Workers’ Action Centre is free and confidential!

Our regular phone line hours are: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12 pm to 5 pm
(We are closed on public holidays. The phone line is closed June 30 to July 1.)

MIGRANT RIGHTS ARE AT RISK – ACT NOW

Policy changes that began in 2024, will exclude at least 775,000 migrants. The government plans to make the most significant cuts to the number of migrant workers, international students and refugees in Canadian history. The same government that promised regularization in 2021 now plans to further reduce the number of permanent residents. 

Many immigration rules are also changing, which will force a lot of migrants already living and working in Canada to become undocumented. Migrants who have been essential members of our communities for years will be forced into bad jobs, separated from their families, and financially strained from having to renew work permits each year instead of every two years. (Visit MigrantRignts.ca to find out more about the immigration changes.)

This harmful change in direction shows that our government representatives are giving in to the anti-immigrant and racist ideas that the media is spreading across the country. It is crucial to the workers’ movement that you raise your voice for immigrant justice. Here’s what you can do:

The Workers’ Action Centre is a member of the Migrant Rights Network. Many of our WAC members are migrant and undocumented workers who have risked their health at essential jobs and been denied equal access to healthcare and income support. That’s why regularization and status for all are so important to the WAC community.

HEALTHCARE FOR ALL

During the pandemic, the Ontario government was forced to recognize that leaving migrants behind hurts everyone in our communities. The province introduced the Physician and Hospital Services for the Uninsured Program to extend healthcare to migrants. The program cost only 0.001% of the annual healthcare budget yet helped provide care and treatment 400,000+ times over two years. 

But the program was cruelly cut in March 2023. People who have become undocumented are charged high fees for basic healthcare. This forces people to delay visiting the doctor until they’re in need of emergency care, which puts more strain on the healthcare system. These cuts plunge low-wage migrants into massive debt and put lives at risk. Help restore universal healthcare coverage:

  • Send and email demanding universal healthcare to Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones
  • Follow the Healthcare for All Coalition on X (Twitter) and Instagram

ONTARIO’S 3 TEMPORARY PAID SICK DAYS EXPIRED

The Worker Income Protection Benefit (WIPB) allowed employees to request only 3 paid sick days. It was introduced on April 29, 2021 and ended March 31, 2023. There was no increase or reset in the number of sick days offered and workers could only use these 3 days for COVID-19 related reasons. Now many workers are back at 0 paid sick days. What workers really need are at least 10 permanent paid sick days to recover from any illness or injury. Please take a minute to remind Premier Ford that paid sick days save lives: Send an email demanding 10 permanent paid sick days. To help strengthen the movement for paid sick days and other essential protections, sign up for outreach actions at Justice4Workers.org/events_actions.

EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE UPDATE

Temporary measures for EI during the pandemic expired on September 24, 2022. We need to extend the temporary measures that make EI more accessible to those most in need. With many part-time, misclassified, migrant, undocumented and international student workers unable to receive these supports, these benefits leave too many workers out. Please read our recommendations and sign the petition to fix EI.

Check out some of our latest rights at work below, and don’t hesitate to give us a call if you need help defending any of them:

  • $17.20 general minimum wage
    • $16.20 minimum wage for students under 18
    • The minimum wage for liquor servers has been eliminated, so they now receive the general minimum wage rate.
    • There is an annual minimum wage adjustment each year on October 1st. These minimum wages will be adjusted upwards on October 1, 2025 according to the Consumer Price Index.
  • Job-protected leaves for all workers: You get 3 days if you are sick; 3 days for family responsibilities, such as an illness or urgent matter of a family member; and 2 days for bereavement.  Your employer is allowed to ask you for evidence in order to take these leaves. We no longer get any paid sick days. (We are fighting for at least 10 paid emergency leave days and 14 more during public health emergencies.)
  • 1 week notice or pay in lieu of notice when temporary agency workers are terminated from assignments that were supposed to last 3 months or longer.
  • Temporary agencies and their client companies are jointly responsible for unpaid wages, overtime, public holiday pay and injuries.
  • Temporary agencies and recruiters must have a license to operate in Ontario. If you are a worker and are using a temp agency or recruiter, make sure they are licensed by looking them up in the Ontario government’s licensing database.
  • Misclassification is illegal. If you are an employee who is being misclassified as self-employed, call us for help.
  • 3 weeks of vacation after 5 years of working at the same company.
  • Domestic or sexual violence leave of up to 10 individual days of leave and up to 15 weeks of leave if you or your child is experiencing or being threatened with domestic or sexual violence. The first 5 days of leave each year will be paid.

We are committed to defending and expanding these labour laws. Will you help us fight for workers’ rights? Here are a few things you can do:

  • When you have a problem at work, call us at 416-531-0778. All calls are free and confidential. We also have a toll-free number which is 1-855-531-0778.
  • Sign up for Action Alerts at the bottom of the page.
  • Read and share information about your rights at work.
  • Join and support the Justice for Workers campaign. Visit Justice4Workers.org.
  • Support the Workers’ Action Centre.