The Grey Bruce Labour Council says Ontario’s Working For Workers Act has some good things in it, but it doesn’t make big changes.
“I think if we wanted to look at this through a lens of ‘Is this good?’ There’s really nothing bad in it. Is it enough? Not even close to it,” says Labour Council Vice President Dave Trumble.
This week, the Ontario Government introduced the Working for Workers Act, 2021 that would, if passed, require employers with 25 or more employees to have a written policy about employees disconnecting from their job at the end of the workday.
It would also ban the use of non-compete agreements that prevent people from exploring other work opportunities and remove some barriers such as Canadian experience requirements, for internationally trained individuals to get licensed in a regulated profession and get access to jobs that match their qualifications and skills.
Among other things, the Act would also require business owners to allow delivery workers to use a company’s washroom if they are delivering or picking up items.
Trumble says, “Certain people that haven’t had access to those public washrooms for instance is a big deal from a health and safety point of view.” He says, “Most of the foundation of trade unionism comes out of health and safety.”
Trumble says a policy that enables people to disconnect from emails and work communications isn’t new, “I can remember visiting relatives in the UK 25 years ago and they had ‘Go Home on Time Day,” says Trumble.
France, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, the Philippines all have similar laws.
Trumble says the changes in the Act could have been more impactful, “There are many points that are good but they are in the margin. They’re playing around the margins rather than getting to the stuff that’s really meaningful to workers and makes a difference today.”
He says, “Lets stop the arguing about paid sick days. Let’s get those ten paid sick days out there. We know that an investment in health and safety is a gigantic return on investment.”
Trumble says “We know living in Owen Sound, $15 an hour is not a living wage. We know it’s not even close to a living wage in a more urban settings.” Trumble says the government’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in January (it is $14.35 now) is, “Too little, too late.”
With regard to the non-compete clause in Ontario’s Working for Workers Act, Trumble says, “I’m not arguing against it– the ability to look elsewhere and look for an improvement, but…One of the greatest sayings I’ve ever heard is ‘A rising tide lifts all boats,’ So why not go to the most foundational pieces we need right now? We need money in people’s pockets because we’ve had almost two years of people suffering almost immeasurable tolls of pain and suffering because of the pandemic. Let’s get the paid sick days out there and then lets go look at all of the stuff in the margins as gravy or icing.”