2018 marks Ontario's minimum wage hike, increased paid vacations and new personal emergency days
Ottawa, Jan 3 (IBNS): With the election coming up, rise in minimum wages in Ontario in the year 2018 to $14 an hour would help the struggling workers and their families to get ahead in the present changing economy, officials said.
“Our plan for fair workplaces and better jobs provides a minimum wage people can actually live on and modernizes our labour laws to adapt to an ever-changing economy. Too many families struggle to get by on part-time or temporary work. Those working full-time can be living in poverty. This is unacceptable in Ontario. Our plan will help ensure everyone who works hard has the chance to reach their full potential and share in Ontario’s prosperity,” Kevin Flynn, Ontario Minister of Labour was reported to state.
A higher minimum wage, studies revealed, would reportedly result in less employee turnover, which increases business productivity.
Ontario's plan to support workers and their families by creating fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change also reportedly includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.
The new provincial legislation of hike in minimum wages to $14 an hour is effective from Jan 1, 2018 and also reportedly includes: allowing at least three weeks' vacation for workers after five years with the same employer which would bring Ontario's vacation time in line with the national average; at least two paid days per year for employees who have been employed for at least a week; 10 days per calendar year for personal emergency leave to employees in workplaces with fewer than 50 employees.
Other provisions included in the legislation, according to official reports are: increase of family medical leave from 8 to 28 weeks per year; a new domestic or sexual violence leave of up to 10 individual days and up to 15 weeks of job protected leave with paid leave for the first five days of leave in every calendar year
Also included reportedly in the new legislation are: up to 104 weeks of leave for child death from any cause, and leave from 52 to 104 weeks due to increased crime-related disappearance of a child, and facilitation of easy formation of a union to reach a first collective agreement.
As part of Ontario's Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 -- passed on Nov 2107 to to create more opportunity and security for workers in present changing economy -- included a number of changes to both the Employment Standards Act, 2000, the Labour Relations Act, 1995, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, including raising the minimum wage.
The minimum wage will reportedly increase again to $15 an hour on January 1, 2019, following annual increases at the rate of inflation.
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
Image of Kevin Flynn: Facebook
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
