News Release
Communiqué
08-13
For Immediate Release
February 27, 2008
UPDATED INFORMATION FOR WORKERS
McGuinty Government Moving Forward On Employment Rights
TORONTO--The province is publishing a new version of a poster about the Employment Standards Act (ESA) that most Ontario employers will be required to post in the workplace.
The poster outlines worker and employer rights and obligations and reflects recent changes to the ESA, regarding:
- Minimum wage
- Reservist leave
- Declared emergency leave
- Family Day and
- Employees who qualify to take a family medical leave.
“Recent changes to the Employment Standards Act are helping both workers and employers and moving Ontario forward in healthy and productive ways,” said Ontario Labour Minister Brad Duguid.
Most employers in Ontario are required to post the document in English and the majority language of the workplace. The poster will be available in 21 languages besides English and French, recognizing the diversity in Ontario’s productive workplaces.
All language versions of the poster continue to be available free by downloading it from the Ministry of Labour’s website or by visiting a ServiceOntario Centre. It can also be ordered from ServiceOntario Publications, for the cost of shipping and handling.
The poster is available in English, French, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Dari, Farsi, Filipino, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Oji-Cree, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese.
Background information:
- Pursuant to the ESA, section 2(3), most employers will be required to post version 4.0 of “What You Should Know About The Ontario Employment Standards Act” once it is published. From February 15 to April 11, 2008, as a transition, employment standards officers may issue compliance orders for failure to post the new version of the poster. Notices of contravention or prosecutions may be initiated only for failure to comply with a compliance order. Failure to post the required version of the poster is a contravention under the act.
- On and after April 12, officers may use the full range of enforcement measures to ensure that employers are complying with the requirement to post version 4.0, including issuing notices of contravention with monetary penalties.
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For further information:
Public enquiries:
1-800-531-5551
Media enquiries:
| Susan McConnell Minister's Office 416-326-7710 Mobile 416-606-8303 |
Bruce Skeaff Ministry of Labour 416-326-7405 |
