Province plans blitz on restaurants, other 'precarious' employers

NEWS RELEASE

MINISTRY OF LABOUR

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Province Committed To Protecting Vulnerable Workers

Ontario will target violations of minimum wage, overtime pay, meal breaks and other worker entitlements during two simultaneous enforcement blitzes at workplaces across Ontario this spring and early summer.  

From May 1 to July 31, 2015, Ministry of Labour employment standards officers are visiting workplaces such as restaurants and other establishments that employ:

•   New, young and vulnerable workers engaged in "precarious employment" and
•  Temporary foreign workers engaged in all types of employment arrangements

Employment standards officers will check that employers are complying with key requirements of Ontario's Employment Standards Act (ESA).

Precarious employment refers to work that is seasonal, part-time or temporary.

Precarious work is unlike a traditional employment that typically involves a full-time, permanent arrangement with one employer.

Ensuring employers adhere to Ontario's standards is part of the province's continued commitment to protect vulnerable workers.

"Temporary foreign workers and other vulnerable workers, including new and young workers, are at greater risk than other employees of having their rights violated. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly at work, and that’s why our government is committed to educating and protecting vulnerable workers and ensuring employers are following the rules," said Kevin Flynn, Minister of Labour.

Since June 2012, six province-wide inspection blitzes have focused on employment standards.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Learn your rights under the Employment Standards Act
• What businesses need to know
• Learn more about how Ontario is strengthening protections for vulnerable workers through Bill 18, the Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act, 2014

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