Jean Poutine
May 3rd, 2014, 08:37 PM
Here is a compendium of resources that you may browse for information regarding labour law or workers' rights such as wage, tips, overtime or lunch breaks by country. It is hard for a teenager (or a student) to know their rights when it comes to employment, and employers often abuse this.
Just a quick example : you work for a clothing store, your shift ends at 5PM. Manager routinely asks you to get the stands in order (refold clothes and the like), which takes you 15 minutes every day past 5PM. You are paid only for your "official" shift.
Newsflash : that's illegal. Where I'm from, if you actually work 40 hours, 9 to 5, 5 days a week, that's an hour and a quarter more per week. Not only should you be compensated for this, it should be overtime pay.
Minimum wage where I live is 10.35/hour.
Overtime pay = 50% more, 10.35*1.50 = 15.53.
15.53*1.25 = 19.41
19.41*4 weeks = 77.95
77.95*12 months = 935.40
That escalated quickly. Something as dumb as 15 minutes every day to fold clothing costs you 935.40 per year.
Another example : manager allows you to take your lunch break but wants you to stay at the desk in case a customer arrives and needs service. Lunch breaks are 30 minutes and unpaid as per the law.
According to local law, when an employee cannot quit the workplace during his lunch break, this must be paid as he is still available to the employer.
Do the math.
Therein lies the importance of knowing your rights. Abuses that seem too small to bother with cost a lot in the long run. Small employers especially aren't always aware of the law or skirt it voluntarily.
Complain. You are not screwing them by complaining, they are screwing you. All of this talk about company loyalty, culture, or even the owner of the small mom and pop store you work part-time for being especially likable, none of this matters. Work is a contract upon which an employer agrees to pay an employee for work. That's really all it is. And nice people uphold their part of a bargain to the letter.
Feel free to add to the list.
United States (federal and state)
http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/labor - links to every statute pertaining to labour law and the relevant state commissions
Canada (federal)
http://www.labour.gc.ca/eng/standards_equity/st/
Alberta
http://work.alberta.ca/employment-standards.html
British Columbia
http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/
Manitoba
http://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/
New Brunswick
http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/post-secondary_education_training_and_labour/Labour.html#Standards
Newfoundland
http://www.gov.nl.ca/lra/faq/labourstandards.html
Nova Scotia
http://novascotia.ca/lae/employmentrights/
Ontario
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/
Prince Edward Island
http://www.gov.pe.ca/labour/index.php3?number=1004723&lang=E
Quebec
http://www.educaloi.qc.ca/categories/travail
http://www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca/accueil/index.html
Saskatchewan
www.lrws.gov.sk.ca/labour-standards
---
Australia
http://www.fairwork.gov.au/
Ireland
http://www.unionconnect.ie/rights/2/
http://www.employmentrights.ie/en/
New Zealand
http://www.dol.govt.nz/er/index.asp
United Kingdom
https://www.gov.uk/browse/working
Just a quick example : you work for a clothing store, your shift ends at 5PM. Manager routinely asks you to get the stands in order (refold clothes and the like), which takes you 15 minutes every day past 5PM. You are paid only for your "official" shift.
Newsflash : that's illegal. Where I'm from, if you actually work 40 hours, 9 to 5, 5 days a week, that's an hour and a quarter more per week. Not only should you be compensated for this, it should be overtime pay.
Minimum wage where I live is 10.35/hour.
Overtime pay = 50% more, 10.35*1.50 = 15.53.
15.53*1.25 = 19.41
19.41*4 weeks = 77.95
77.95*12 months = 935.40
That escalated quickly. Something as dumb as 15 minutes every day to fold clothing costs you 935.40 per year.
Another example : manager allows you to take your lunch break but wants you to stay at the desk in case a customer arrives and needs service. Lunch breaks are 30 minutes and unpaid as per the law.
According to local law, when an employee cannot quit the workplace during his lunch break, this must be paid as he is still available to the employer.
Do the math.
Therein lies the importance of knowing your rights. Abuses that seem too small to bother with cost a lot in the long run. Small employers especially aren't always aware of the law or skirt it voluntarily.
Complain. You are not screwing them by complaining, they are screwing you. All of this talk about company loyalty, culture, or even the owner of the small mom and pop store you work part-time for being especially likable, none of this matters. Work is a contract upon which an employer agrees to pay an employee for work. That's really all it is. And nice people uphold their part of a bargain to the letter.
Feel free to add to the list.
United States (federal and state)
http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/labor - links to every statute pertaining to labour law and the relevant state commissions
Canada (federal)
http://www.labour.gc.ca/eng/standards_equity/st/
Alberta
http://work.alberta.ca/employment-standards.html
British Columbia
http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/
Manitoba
http://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/
New Brunswick
http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/post-secondary_education_training_and_labour/Labour.html#Standards
Newfoundland
http://www.gov.nl.ca/lra/faq/labourstandards.html
Nova Scotia
http://novascotia.ca/lae/employmentrights/
Ontario
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/
Prince Edward Island
http://www.gov.pe.ca/labour/index.php3?number=1004723&lang=E
Quebec
http://www.educaloi.qc.ca/categories/travail
http://www.cnt.gouv.qc.ca/accueil/index.html
Saskatchewan
www.lrws.gov.sk.ca/labour-standards
---
Australia
http://www.fairwork.gov.au/
Ireland
http://www.unionconnect.ie/rights/2/
http://www.employmentrights.ie/en/
New Zealand
http://www.dol.govt.nz/er/index.asp
United Kingdom
https://www.gov.uk/browse/working