What are employment standards?

image  by TheHilaryClark.  CC0

Employees have rights and responsibilities in the workplace. Laws on minimum wage, overtime, general holidays, vacation and ending employment are enforced by the Employment Standards program under Manitoba Labour and Immigration. 

 These guidelines include the:

• Employment Standards Code
• Construction and Wage Schedule
• Remembrance Day Guidelines
• Sunday and Holiday Shopping Hours
• Worker Recruitment and Protection

Manitoba Labour and Immigration also investigates complaints about violations of these laws.

Most employees in Manitoba are covered by the program except for industries covered by the Federal Government, independent contractors (self-employed persons), and some agricultural workers. Other employees such as construction workers, part-time domestic workers, landscape workers and election workers are entitled to some employment standards, but not all.

Other laws

There are also other laws and programs that go hand in hand with Employment Standards that protect your rights. These include the Employment Equity Act, which ensures that everyone, regardless of gender, race or capabilities has the right to be treated fairly in the workplace; the Pay Equity Program upholds everybody’s right to receive equal pay for work of equal value; the Workplace Safety and Health Act protects your right to a safe and healthy workplace environment; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which outlines your basic rights as a human, and how they are recognized and upheld in Canada.

Have your rights been violated?

If you feel that your rights have been violated or if your employer did not pay you correctly, you can inform an Employment Standards Officer, your union representative (if your workplace is unionized), or file a claim. Go to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission (provincial level) or the Canadian Human Rights Commission website (federal) site to file a complaint if you think you have been discriminated against.

Community Resources

If you’re a foreign worker, read Understand your rights – foreign workers.

Know more about Human Rights and Reasonable Accommodations on this site.