The Ontario government is raising awareness of employment standards law among vulnerable workers by making available much-needed information
in 21 different languages, Labour Minister Chris Bentley said today.
“The people in the province’s diverse workforce want to
understand their employment rights and obligations,” Bentley said. “That is why we have created clear and concise brochures that explain
key aspects of the Employment Standards Act in English, French and 19 other languages.”
On April 26, Bentley announced that the government
would step up enforcement of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and reach out to vulnerable workers. After consulting with stakeholders
and partners, the government has published the first four brochures in a series of multilingual publications on workplace rights:
Your Rights at Work--general information about the Employment Standards Act, 2000
Protecting Employees--a guide to how employees are
protected from reprisals
Claim Your Rights--a step-by-step guide to filing a claim
Leaves of Absence--an introduction to pregnancy,
parental, emergency and family medical leaves.
In addition to English and French, these brochures are available in Arabic, Bengali,
Chinese, Dari, Farsi, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Filipino, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu
and Vietnamese.
“We want to help vulnerable workers, which often includes new Canadians who may not be fluent in English or French,
understand their employment rights and obligations,” Bentley said. “The government is creating fair workplaces and strong communities
through outreach and enforcement.”
This initiative is part of a larger, ongoing campaign that also includes the new Workplace Gateway
website providing easy access to a broad range of information about workplace health and safety and employment standards. The brochures
are available from Ministry of Labour offices, Government Information Centres, and Publications Ontario, or online at www.gov.on.ca/lab/..