Alexander Kurth is planning to apply for the new Canada Emergency Response Benefit once the application is available on Monday. But despite being a gig economy worker who wouldn’t be able to receive employment insurance, it’s only because of a timing coincidence that he qualifies for the new support at all. Toronto-based Kurth is nearing […]
The Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled on Tuesday that Foodora Canada couriers are dependent contractors and have the right to unionize. The ruling, which sets a precedent for app-based workers seeking to unionize, agreed with Foodsters United and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers that Foodora’s relationship to its couriers and their working conditions rendered them […]
The United Food and Commercial Workers Canada Local 1518 is waiting for a decision from the Labour Relations Board of British Columbia on its application to classify drivers using the Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. apps as employees. Currently, drivers in other Canadian jurisdictions are classified as independent contractors, which means they aren’t covered by the province’s Employment […]
It’s an election year and, of course, I have a lot of opinions. But I’ll try to keep my political leanings as neutral as possible and simply lay out the facts. This issue will hit desks days before the federal election. However, as I write these words in mid-September, the main parties are just rolling […]
The union hoping to represent Foodora Inc.’s Toronto couriers has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Ontario Labour Relations Board, alleging the company is attempting to scare couriers into voting against unionization. Couriers are set to vote on whether to join the Canadian Union of Postal Workers on Friday. In a press release, the […]
Employers are expecting to use an increasing number of contingent workers and correspondingly decrease their reliance on full-time employees, according to new research by Willis Towers Watson. The research surveyed more than 1,000 organizations in 40 countries on the changing world of work and adoption of digital and automation technologies in the workplace. It found contingent workers, […]
Toronto Uber drivers are joining the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada union to bargain for sick days and vacation days, as well as a guaranteed minimum wage. During a media conference in Toronto on Wednesday, Pablo Godoy, the national co-ordinator for gig and platform-employer initiatives at UFCW Canada, said many drivers spoke of a “resounding […]
Foodora couriers are leading an effort to join the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to negotiate with their employer for fairer pay and basic benefits. The Justice for Foodora Couriers group says the company’s classification of its couriers as independent contractors allows it to avoid paying for basic employee benefits, such as the Canada Pension Plan and employment insurance, […]
More than three-quarters (79 per cent) of executives said they expect contingent and freelance workers to substantially replace full-time employees in the coming years, according to Mercer’s latest survey on global talent trends. While predictions vary by industry, the survey found the financial services industry is expected to have a workforce that’s 80 per cent freelance in […]
Canada should be considering the feasibility of a portable benefits plan for employees across the country, according to the Public Policy Forum. A portable benefits plan would fill the needs of transient employees engaged in part-time or temporary work who have limited or no access to benefits and pensions, noted the report. It would also provide […]