The Interim Report of the Ontario government’s Changing Workplaces Review proposes a lot of ideas that aren't practical, says the chair of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.
On July 27 the Ministry of Labour published an interim report for its Changing Workplaces Review, which aims to update the province's Labour Relations Act and the Employment Standards Act.
But the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, along with leading employer groups (http://keepontarioworking.ca/), have said the provincial government should reject several proposals from the interim report, before the final report is released in the fall.
For example, the interim report suggested employers should provide fixed schedules for their employees well in advance.
Nutt said that while fixed schedules work well for some sectors, such as office-based businesses that open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. five days per week, they don't work in less predictable sectors, such as retail.
Nutt, who is an employer herself, and co-owns ServiceMaster of Sudbury and Build North Construction Inc., said employers should have the flexibility to schedule around last-minute cancellations from employees, sick days and vacation time.
“I think sometimes we aren't given enough credit to be allowed to run our own businesses,” she said.
But Jenny Fortin, executive director of the Sudbury Workers Education Advocacy Centre, said the current legislation in Ontario needs to be updated to better protect workers' rights.
“Precarious work is becoming the norm, so we need to ensure our labour laws are changed and amended effectively to ensure all workers are protected equally,” Fortin said. “Employers are calling workers at the split of a hair and saying, 'Drop what you're doing at home with your families and come to work.'”
The Sudbury Workers Education Advocacy Centre is also part of the Fight for $15 and Fairness movement, which is advocating for the minimum wage to be increased to $15 an hour, and for more fairness for workers, including fair scheduling, at least three weeks of vacation time for every worker, and no exemptions from paid overtime.
Fortin said she was encouraged by the Changing Workplaces Review interim report, and said she is optimistic the final recommendations, due in the fall, will improve working conditions in Ontario.
“We need change and right now is the optimal moment to do this,” she said.
