New labour laws result in lack of staff and higher costs for Sudbury business owner

As businesses all over Ontario try to adapt to the province's new employment laws, a Sudbury business owner says the minimum wage hike is only part of the story.

Bill 148 took effect on Jan. 1. It guarantees employees 10 days of sick or emergency leave, two of which have to be paid.

Robert Bertuzzi is the present of Reliable Cleaning Services, based in Sudbury. He says on Jan. 2, workers were already calling in.

"The month of January by far, the bulk of those two personal days were used by I'd say at least 30 per cent of the employees," he said.

"We are short-handed every day."

Bertuzzi adds he's locked into contracts that are losing money as a result of the bill. He says when his business bid on jobs, labour costs were projected to be much lower.

"Those contracts, you know we would have bid in at one to two per cent, but to be hit with a 21 per cent increase, the profit margins are slim and labour represents probably 85 per cent of the costs," he said.

"So, we've had to eat the costs, and we have clients now that we basically pay them for us to be able to provide the services."

Bertuzzi says he's had to go back and re-visit about 120 signed contracts and ask the clients to readjust for the new minimum wage. He says most have not been willing to do so.

Protected sick leave needed

With Ontario's nine paid statutory holidays, plus the new leave and vacation guarantees for some, many of Bertuzzi's employees are now entitled to more than 30 days off per year.

Melodie Berube, with the Sudbury Workers Education and Advocacy Centre, says non-unionized workers needed job-protected sick and emergency days enshrined in law.

"It really was the case where we saw worker after worker who legitimately were sick and couldn't show up to work, and they were put in the situation where their employer was essentially either forcing them to go get a sick note or forcing them to come into work," she said.

"So that really speaks to the fact that employers have not really been able to regulate themselves."

Berube says she's already been fielding calls from people who've had a problem getting their paid sick days.

"I can certainly appreciate from an employer's perspective that it might cause some issues in potentially scheduling or mean a few extra dollars that they need to add to the budget for their employees, but what it means is that their employees can call out to work when they're feeling sick, it means that they can be there for their family as well," she said.

"If you need to go pick up your kid from school for example because they're sick."    

Berube says she hopes the province eventually moves to make sure more sick days are paid.