Companies breaking labour laws

[GrooveTunes]

Time to unionize.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/03/08/bc-shaw-contracts.html

[SurplusElect]

Lots of local companies doing the "contractor" scam. Funny that a company as big as Shaw is doing it as well.

You don't work for businesses anymore - you become vulnerable partners with them in which you share risk but do not share reward. They have a bad week - so do you. No tax is paid, no benefits, medical, sick days. Total disposable worker.

LOL @ Shaw

[Katfish1]

I guess I could research it, but Im going to ask...what about part-time employees working full time hours, without full benefits, or holidays, sick time? for years....
It seems there is a need for the full time position, but they hire part-time with full time hours, without the full benefits of a full time position.
is this allowed?

[kgcayenne]

Benefits and sick time are not required under the labour code. Vacation pay and vacation time off are, however.

Some companies claim to offer benefits only to manage clever workarounds to avoid actually providing them. *bleep*.

[SurplusElect]

I know of many sketchy contractor situations, it's sad.

[Captain Awesome]

Lots of local companies doing the "contractor" scam. Funny that a company as big as Shaw is doing it as well.

A lot of high tech companies do the same thing. My mom has been a contractor with a large software company for years. Though she was offered a full time position after a while. Bad things? Not sure if the contract will be renewed 6 months from now. Good things - you can deduct a whole lot of things from your taxes as you operate a business now. She actually made more money this way as companies are willing to pay for the flexibility of having contractors, not employees. Lots of people actually like it this way.

[Captain Awesome]

I guess I could research it, but Im going to ask...what about part-time employees working full time hours, without full benefits, or holidays, sick time? for years....

Benefits = employer's choice, doesn't depend on your work load.
Sick time = employer's choice, doesn't depend on your work load.
Holidays = regulated by labor code, you might be entitled to it. I believe you have to work 15 days out of 30 preceding.

[GrooveTunes]

Holidays = regulated by labor code, you might be entitled to it. I believe you have to work 15 days out of 30 preceding.

Means nothing. Thats the whole point of the thread.

[SurplusElect]

Bad things? Not sure if the contract will be renewed 6 months from now. Good things - you can deduct a whole lot of things from your taxes as you operate a business now.

-can be let go/fired for any reason (no recourse)
-no EI
-no benefits
-no holidays/stats
-no vacation
-no pension
-no investment in the employee (treated accordingly)
-"take it or leave it" dealings with company (take a single day off - your job may not be there when you get back)

I am in "the high tech" field. I see this scam all the time. Unless the "tax savings" offset potential benefits, 2(+)weeks paid vacation a year, setting aside money for when you just magically lose your job one day and the monetary value of being treated as a "valued employee" - the only person this benefits is the employer because they skip out on payroll taxes and EI, and do not have to train or invest anything into the employee. Disposable worker.

You can't write off as much as people say. That's the other part of the scam. Let me guess- "home office". LOL.

Not to mention if your mom only works for one person and has set hours, she is technically not a contractor. Actually, she certainly isn't one if that is the case. Nice scam.

[Dizzy1]

I guess I could research it, but Im going to ask...what about part-time employees working full time hours, without full benefits, or holidays, sick time? for years....
It seems there is a need for the full time position, but they hire part-time with full time hours, without the full benefits of a full time position.
is this allowed?

It is, even in Unionized workplaces this happens. At the end of the day, the company still has the final say on how the company is run as long as it doesn't violate any laws or the Collective Agreement.

Holidays = regulated by labor code, you might be entitled to it. I believe you have to work 15 days out of 30 preceding.

For Stat Holidays yes, and that also applies to Unions depending on the Collective Agreement. Infact, unless the Collective Agreement says otherwise, you'll have the same rules and regulations as everyone else in the Province when it comes to labour codes.

Means nothing. Thats the whole point of the thread.

Nah, the whole point of the thread is to Unionize because a company is breaking laws and the Union will make everything warm and fuzzy because its a Union.

[JLives]

I know of a "contractor Secretary" here in town.

40 hours a week, set hours, single employer, cant take sick days, no benefits, no holidays, stats - no taxes deducted.

They are apparently paid "by the paperwork they process" yet this person gets the same paycheque amount every two weeks.

Classified as a "contractor". Employer wont hire actual "employees". Employer is a millionaire.

This person is clearly an employee and when Revenue Canada finds out they will be forced to pay every penny back that is owed. This is not legal. I worked in an office with dual track workers, some employees and some contractors and we had very strict lines between the two.

This can help you decide if you are an employee or a subcontractor http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/rc4110/rc4110-e.html

[SurplusElect]

Nah, the whole point of the thread is to Unionize because a company is breaking laws and the Union will make everything warm and fuzzy because its a Union.

Actually the point of this thread is showing what extremely profitable companies are doing to avoid paying their employees properly.

[Captain Awesome]

Do NOT try to guess posters real life identities. Don't do that again. - Jennylives

[Captain Awesome]

*try again without the personal attack/Jo*

[Dizzy1]

Actually the point of this thread is showing what extremely profitable companies are doing to avoid paying their employees properly.

If that were the point, then there would be no need to post this in the OP ...

Time to unionize.