Canadian Payroll Reporter

3 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2018 News CPR | November 2018 Feds want to modernize labour standards BY SHEILA BRAWN LABOUR STANDARDS chang- es may be on the way for feder- ally regulated private-sector em- ployers and their workers. The federal government recently released a report on consultations it held last year and earlier this year on ways to update Part III of the Canada Labour Code to better reflect to- day's work environment. "It's clear that ever-increasing global competition, rapid tech- nological changes and socio-de- mographic shifts are fundamen- tally altering the way businesses operate and the way Canadians work," said Employment Minis- ter Patty Hajdu in a news release. "As workplaces evolve, so too must the labour standards in those workplaces." Part III covers about 900,000 employees working for ap- proximately 18,310 employers in industries such as banking, telecommunications and broad- casting, and international and inter-provincial transportation. While the code only applies to federally regulated workplaces, changes to federal legislation can influence provincial govern- ments to make similar amend- ments to their laws. The report is based on re- sponses from an online survey of the general public, as well as roundtable discussions and written submissions from vari- ous stakeholders, including em- ployers, unions, academics, and labour policy experts. It covers a variety of payroll- related topics, including leaves, vacation, hours of work, termi- nations, wages and benefits, and non-standard employment. The report highlights differ- ences in opinion among those consulted. While labour groups felt that federal labour standards should meet or exceed provin- cial/territorial standards, em- ployer representatives said the government should make the standards more flexible to help businesses stay competitive and adapt to industry changes. Some of the highlights include the following points: Leaves: The report did not include proposals for additional leaves of absence; it focused on whether there should be paid leaves and how long employees should have to work for employ- ers to qualify for leaves. Labour advocates recom- mended that the government re- move length-of-service require- ments for leaves related to tragic events, sick leave, and maternity and parental leave. Sixty-nine per cent of respon- dents answering the govern- ment's online survey question about leaves said there should be no length-of-service require- ment for leaves related to tragic events. In contrast, employer repre- sentatives mostly argued for con- tinued eligibility periods, saying that since leaves can be costly, they should be based on employ- ee loyalty. They also noted that many employers provide leaves exceeding the code's minimums. There was also support for paid personal leave days among labour groups, experts, and sur- vey respondents. Labour repre- sentatives generally called for seven to 10 days of paid personal leave per year, while 77 per cent of survey respondents said em- ployees should have at least five paid days of leave a year. Vacation: Labour groups sug- gested reducing the eligibility period for vacation, currently 12 months of employment. Among survey respondents, the most frequently selected eligibility pe- riod was six months. see BENEFITS page 8

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