Tag Archives: BC Employment Standards Act

BC Auditor General must conduct performance audit of Employment Standards Branch

Posted on by
Reply

For almost two decades, BC’s Employment Standards Branch has failed to adequately enforce the Employment Standards Act and the Employment Standards Regulation. This week, the BC Employment Standards Coalition called on the BC Auditor General, Carol Bellringer, to conduct an investigation.

In addition, this week the BC Employment Standards Coalition submitted our response to the Minister of Labour’s February 28th Consultation Paper, which also included our separate critique of the BC Law Institute’s December report on the Employment Standards Act.

Individuals can submit their views on modernizing the BC Employment Standards via email (ESAReview@gov.bc.ca)until March 31st. The BCFED has provided a template letter at this link: https://www.workersdeservebetter.ca/employment_standards

PRESS RELEASE: Immediate action needed to reform BC employment standards

Posted on by
Reply

OFL/Flickr

On the heels of Labour Day, the BC Employment Standards Coalition presented a comprehensive submission to the BC Minister of Labour Harry Bains calling for immediate action on a number of pressing employment standards reforms. Please click here for our  press release, and click for our full submission.

Coalition Co-Chair David Fairey was interviewed by the CBC this week about the serious need to strengthen B.C.’s labour laws to protect all workers.

As outlined in our submission, urgent reforms are needed to address the neglect of workers’ rights by the previous Liberal government for 16 years. The most pressing need for employment standards change is in how the Act is enforced. Currently, enforcement is driven by workers’ complaints, but independent reviews of employment standards in BC and Ontario underscore the need for proactive investigation and enforcement, with a significant increase in Branch enforcement staff.

We are concerned that the Minister of Labour will not act on the pressing need for immediate employment standards changes until after he has received the final recommendations of the BC Law Institute’s review of the Employment Standards Act, which is not expected much earlier than the end of 2018.

We invite individuals and organizations to endorse our submission by adding your name to this document. We also invite you to circulate our submission widely.

Our submission to the Fair Wages Commission

Posted on by
Reply

On November 23, BC Employment Standards Coalition Co-Chair David Fairey made a submission in Vancouver to the Fair Wages Commission as part of its consultation. The submission contains detailed responses to questions from the Commission including, “What is a reasonable timeframe or schedule of increases in the minimum wage to reach $15-an-hour?” and “What are your experiences or thoughts about the farm workers piece rates in B.C.?”

Please click here to read our full submission.

Report exposes violations of basic workplace rights and calls new government to immediate action

Posted on by
Reply

Image of cover of new report by BC ESC, Workers' stories of exploitation and abuse.To mark Labour Day, we are releasing a new report: Workers’ Stories of Exploitation & Abuse: Why BC Employment Standards Need to Change. For the full press release, please click here.

This report documents widespread employer violations of BC’s Employment Standards Act and exposes the failure of the provincial government to enforce basic workplace rights. The Coalition calls on the new provincial government to act swiftly on the report’s recommendations.

 

In 2016 and 2017, the BC Employment Standards Coalition held a series of workers’ forums across Metro Vancouver and Victoria where workers described their experiences with employment standards violations, issues with enforcement, and areas where the Employment Standards Act failed to protect them.

The Coalition heard from 145 workers about wage theft, lack of breaks, employment contract violations, improper termination, excessive work hours, and unequal treatment as temporary workers. The coalition’s report gives a voice to workers’ concerns and proposes legislative reforms intended to improve the economic security of all working people.

“The ‘Workers’ Stories Report’ is an indictment of the previous government’s callous reduction of rights and protections for workers in the province – especially the most vulnerable,” says David Fairey, co-chair of the coalition. “The findings expose the government’s failure to enforce the Employment Standards Act, and the urgent need to address gaps in existing legislation.”

The report also raises serious concerns about employers charging fees to temporary foreign workers, denying sick days, bullying workers and the lack of basic rights for farm workers. Additionally, it proposes new rights and protections for the large and growing numbers of precarious workers in the service economy.

“The stories we collected illustrate the need for the new government to act quickly to modernize basic workplace rights, institute proactive enforcement, and provide the Employment Standards Branch with the resources needed to carry out its mandate effectively.” says Fairey.

For interviews, please contact:

David Fairey, Co-Chair, BC Employment Standards Coalition

604-430-6036

david@labourconsultingservices.com

Article in The Tyee on new BC Employment Standards Coalition Summary Report

Posted on by
Reply

“B.C. workers aren’t protected from abuse and harassment under the Employment Standards Act. WorkSafeBC has guidelines on workplace bullying, but Fairey says they have no teeth.

It’s a refrain that’s repeated throughout the report: lack of protection for workers and lack of enforcement of the rules that do exist.”

The Tyee has published an article on the BC Employment Standards Coalition’s new Summary Report, Worker Workers’ Stories of Harassment and Abuse: Why B.C. Employment Standards Need to Change. Read The Tyee article here, and see our press release here.