The Canadian Labour Congress welcomes today’s interim report of Ontario’s Changing Workplace Review. The report acknowledges the many ways in which work is changing in the 21st century. It also paves the way for legislated improvements that would lift the standards for every worker in the modern workplace, whether unionized or not.
“We know that our world of work is changing, and Ontario has approached this challenge the right way. This is the most significant review in Ontario in 20 years, and it lays the groundwork for a new set of workplace standards to ensure decent work in the 21st century,” said CLC president, Hassan Yussuff.
“Now that this report is out, we encourage the government to accept the challenges that this report presents and act on them in a bold and ambitious way,” Yussuff added. Yussuff encouraged the government to continue working with the Ontario Federation of Labour to design and implement changes related to the review.
Many issues raised by unions in the consultation process, such as shift scheduling and sick days, are concerns across Canada. The CLC is encouraging other provinces to adopt a broad approach similar to Ontario’s, which allowed for consideration of a wide range of possible changes to both Employment Standards and the provincial Labour Code.
“Canadian unions are working hard to improve the day-to-day lives of all Canadians, and part of that means being on top of the changes we’re seeing in our world of work. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with provincial and federal governments on the issues these changes are raising for working people,” Yussuff said.
