Equal pay for equal work is now the law in Ontario. As of Monday, part-time, casual and seasonal workers will be paid at the same rate as full-time workers.
Local labour leader Lesley Jamieson lobbied to get the province to boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour and is pleased with the government’s new “equal pay” law.
“I don’t have the numbers but if you look at Queen’s campus alone, this is going to affect custodial staff, this is going to affect food service workers, this is going to affect faculty.”
St. Lawrence College president Glenn Vollebregt and his team are still trying to work out the financial impact of giving
part-timers the equivalent pay as those who do the same job full-time. Despite that, he likes the move.
“It’ll affect roughly around 700 of our employees. As you know, our college and our programs depend on the quality work that our part-time workforce delivers and it’s a big part of our college.”
Employees are entitled to ask about pay discrepancies and under the Employment Standards Act, they are protected against any repercussions. The legislation allows for exemptions based on seniority or merit.