Sudbury chamber, labour group eye Ontario workplace changes

Ontario is looking to overhaul the laws that govern how you work. And while some labour groups are welcoming the proposed changes, business groups are concerned more legislation could cause small operations to fold.

The province's Changing Workplace Review has spent two years looking at how it could change things like minimum wage, overtime requirements, sick pay, unionizing casual workers and and the use of replacement workers during labour disputes.

Some labour organizations across the province are preparing for good news.

Henri Giroux is president of the North Bay and District Labour Council. He says he wants to see the province crack down on the use of replacement workers, or as he calls them, "scabs."

Giroux says using replacement workers is causing drawn-out bargaining talks between locked-out CUPE workers and the Nipissing and Parry Sound District Children's Aid Society.

"Employers aren't interested in going back to the bargaining table because they're using scabs," says Giroux.

"According to the employer's side, everything is OK, people are doing the work and the children are being taken care of. But we know that's not true because we hear from people who use the service and it's not the same as having your own worker there."

• Replacement workers being used in Nipissing, Parry Sound CAS labour dispute
• Nipissing and Parry Sound children's aid workers locked out

But Tracy Nutt, chair of the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, says extra rules could mean extra stress for business owners.

One of the proposed changes is to force employers to post casual employees' schedules in advance. Right now, many casual workers can't schedule appointments because they're unsure of when they might be working. But Nutt says the logistics of looking ahead don't work.

"The reality is with sick days, with vacation time, with exam time ... it all puts a bit of a kink in potential schedules," she says.

"Although, in theory, it sounds like a great practice, the reality makes it extremely difficult to do."

Small changes add up

With changes like giving mandatory paid sick days and an extra week's vacation, Nutt says business owners might see their bottom lines shrink.

"You know, in the larger companies, like Vale or Glencore, I'm not sure if they can even measure the cost of paid sick days could have to them. But certainly the smaller the business, the more financial impact that type of a change would have," Nutt says.

The final recommendations from the Changing Workplace Review are due to be handed to Labour Minister Kevin Flynn in the coming days.