News Release
Communiqué
05-112
For Immediate Release
October 3, 2005
ONTARIO GOVERNMENT INCREASES WORKPLACE INSPECTIONS TO PROTECT VULNERABLE EMPLOYEES
2,500 Employment Standards Inspections Planned
TORONTO--The Ontario government is increasing proactive employment standards inspections to protect vulnerable employees, Labour Minister Steve Peters said today.
"Protecting people's rights in the workplace is vital to ensuring a strong Ontario," said Peters. "In a competitive economy, every effort must be made to target the small minority of businesses that break the law at the expense of employees."
Peters made the remarks at a graduation ceremony for 13 employment standards officers. The ministry now has 144 employment standards officers. Over the next year, they will carry out 2,500 surprise proactive workplace inspections to look for contraventions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA).
In addition to proactive inspections, the officers deal with nearly 17,000 claims filed every year by employees over potential violations of the ESA relating to overtime, minimum wage, vacation pay and other rights.
The government also offers resources to help employees and employers achieve voluntary compliance. These include multilingual materials, a toll-free call centre (1-800-531-5551), an employment standards website (http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/) and outreach initiatives.
"Treating employees fairly is good business," said Peters. "It results in lower staff turnover, less absenteeism and greater productivity."
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Media Contacts:
Susan McConnell
Minister's Office
416-326-7710
Belinda Sutton
Ministry of Labour
416-326-7405
