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Karl Marx wearing sunglasses.

Karl Marx died in the UK in 1883, but workers rights are alive & well in Canada in the 21st Century!

Your safety, pay, and human rights in the workplace are protected by law.

Do you know your rights?

Health & Safety

A villain from Indiana Jones typing on a computer; below him is the same image but he's now a skeleton. The first image says 'safe work', and the next says 'unsafe work'.

You have 3 basic health & safety rights:

  1. know about any health & safety hazards on the job

  2. help make your workplace safer

  3. say no to unsafe work

No one can make you do something that will cause you harm!

Quiz

Which of these is an example of a safe work request?

Did you know?

According to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Canadian workers aged 24 and under filed over 8,000 claims for time lost due to injury in 2019 alone.

Pay Protections

A woman in a talk show audience rubbing her fingers together. The text reads, 'Pay me.'

Your employer must pay you at least minimum wage for hourly work.

Your employer can also deduct (or take away)some money from each paycheque, but only for:

  • income taxes & union dues

  • pension plans & employment insurance

  • health insurance & other benefits

You might also get some paid time off for illness & vacations if you qualify for it.

Did you know?

Laws about minimum wages & paid time off are different in each province. Check your province's Ministry of Labour website for specifics. If you belong to a union, check your collective bargaining agreement for rules about your wages & benefits.

Human Rights

Jordi Laforge from Star Trek says no to discrimination and yes to equity.

Your workplace should be free from:

  • discrimination, harassment, & bullying

  • sexism, racism, ageism, & ableism

  • gender discrimination & sexual harassment

You can take legal action against your workplace if it can't guarantee these protections.

Quiz

Eli is at his first warehouse job. What kind of behaviour infringes on his rights?

Take Action

If you think your employers or other people in your workplace infringe on any of your rights as an employee:

A table with the heading 'Who Would Win'? In the left column: 'anyone violating your workplace rights'; in the left column: 'you, with the law on your side!''

License:

This Byte has been authored by

SB

Steve Birek

Director of Learning Content at Rumie

English

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