New legislation mandating equal pay for equal work will take effect in Ontario on April 1.
Under the rules, casual, part-time, temporary and seasonal employees can’t be paid at a rate of pay less than full-time or permanent employees if they do substantially the same kind of work, in the same establishment; their work requires substantially the same skill, effort and responsibility; or their work is performed under similar working conditions.
Read: Highlights of Ontario’s labour law changes
“Paying people the same wage for doing the same work is not only fair, it’s the right thing to do,” said Kevin Flynn, the province’s minister of labour, in a news release. “Fairness and decency must be the defining values of our workplaces. These changes will ensure that every hardworking Ontarian has a chance to reach their full potential and share in Ontario’s prosperity.”
The changes are the result of the province’s Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, which also raised the minimum wage to $14 an hour on Jan. 1, 2018, as well as providing for more paid vacation time for employees with five years of employment with the same employer and expanding and increasing several leaves of absence.
Read: What do Canadian provinces offer around sick, emergency leave?