TORONTO
– The Ontario Public
Service Employees Union
has asked Ontario
Premier Dalton McGuinty
to ensure that Family
Day apply to all Ontario
workers.
The new
provincial statutory
holiday, occurring on
the third Monday each
February, does not
automatically apply to
everyone, due to
conflicting language in
the Employment Standards
Act (ESA). The Act
states that any worker
currently receiving more
than the minimum number
of nine statutory
holidays will be exempt
from the additional day
off.
“Many of
our members will be
exempted from receiving
Family Day because they
receive more than the
minimum number of paid
holidays provided by the
ESA,” said OPSEU
President Warren
(Smokey) Thomas in his
letter to the Premier.
“These extra holidays
did not happen by
accident, or through the
generosity of employers.
Unionized workers have
bargained for these
additional holidays over
a number of years, often
sacrificing other gains
to receive them. In some
cases, our members have
suffered through strikes
or lockouts to achieve
these benefits.”
Thomas
has asked the Premier to
amend the legislation to
ensure that Family Day
is an additional day of
for Ontario workers, as
his government intended.
He has also asked the
McGuinty to make it
clear to employers that
Family Day must apply to
everyone. “Very few
employers willingly give
employees time off with
pay,” Thomas said.
“Without clear direction
from the Premier,
employers will use any
loophole they can to
avoid paying for time
off.”
OPSEU
represents 125,000
members across Ontario.
While the 40,000 members
working directly for the
Government of Ontario
will receive the
additional day off,
thousands of other OPSEU
members will not.
Read the letter
