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National Post
7 hours ago
- Business
- National Post
CUPE Ontario Delegates Unanimously Call for Ford's Bill 5 to Be Scrapped
Article content TORONTO — Nearly a thousand voting delegates at CUPE Ontario's annual convention last week unanimously adopted an emergency resolution to oppose and defeat the Ford Conservatives' Bill 5, currently being rushed through the legislature and into law. Article content Bill 5 will give Doug Ford and his cabinet the power to create, with the stroke of a pen, no-law 'Special Economic Zones' anywhere in the province. Article content CUPE Ontario convention delegates specifically condemned Schedule 9 of this overreaching and antidemocratic omnibus bill as posing grave threats to workers' rights, Indigenous sovereignty, environmental protections, and public accountability. Article content Delegates to the convention came from thousands of workplaces across the province: municipal services, hospitals, long-term care and health care, schools, universities and libraries, as well as a wide variety in social services, including child care, child protection agencies, community supports for persons with developmental disabilities, services for the Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing, supportive housing, and injured workers' compensation. Article content 'Just three months ago, a minority of eligible Ontarians – only 45 percent – showed up to vote in the provincial election, and it was the votes of merely one in five people that gave Doug Ford's Conservatives a majority of seats in our provincial legislature,' observed Fred Hahn, developmental services worker and president of CUPE Ontario. 'If this isn't a weak mandate, I don't know what is. Article content 'Nothing that Premier Ford told you or me during the election campaign gives him license to consolidate more power for himself and his cabinet ministers – and especially not to eliminate environmental protections, disrespect First Nations, and suspend workers' basic rights. But that's what Bill 5 will do. It's a Trump-style power grab by Doug Ford, who said he'd protect us from the anti-Canadian authoritarian in the White House. Article content 'With Doug Ford's Greenbelt corruption scandal still under active police investigation and his wage-suppressing Bill 124 overturned by the courts at significant expense to the public, we encourage Conservative MPPs to urge their colleagues in cabinet to scrap Bill 5 now.' Article content CUPE Ontario unites 290,000 frontline public sector workers throughout Canada's largest province whose labour underpins every cent of economic growth here. Their 61st annual CUPE Ontario convention began on Wednesday in Toronto and wrapped up Saturday morning. Article content The full text of CUPE Ontario's resolution to oppose Bill 5: Article content CUPE Ontario's Resolution to Oppose and Defeat Bill 5 CUPE Ontario will launch a comprehensive, province-wide campaign—uniting all parts of our union with community and labour allies—to vigorously oppose and defeat Bill 5. This campaign will include: Article content Educating Ontarians about the serious threats posed by the bill's Special Economic Zone (SEZ) provisions, which give Cabinet unchecked power to suspend or amend any law, directly undermining vital labour protections such as the Employment Standards Act, Labour Relations Act, and Occupational Health and Safety Act. Mobilizing our members to raise public awareness about the dangers of a two-tier system that would erode working conditions for all. Building the broadest possible coalition to demand the immediate and full withdrawal of this dangerous legislation. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
Know Oman: Can employers deny requests to combine holidays with annual leave?
Muscat: Employees often seek to combine official holidays with their annual leave, but whether employers can approve or deny such request based on applicable laws and workplace policies. Speaking exclusively to the Times of Oman, a representative of Muhammad Ibrahim Law Firm, a leading law office in Oman, explained that, as per Article 78, 'workers are entitled to 30 days of annual leave per year'. However, the scheduling of such leave must consider the 'interest of work', a standard that gives employers discretion in approving or rejecting the timing of leave. While the law does not expressly prohibit combining holidays with annual leave, it clearly distinguishes between the two. Article 79 guarantees paid official holidays as separate entitlements, and Article 78 requires that annual leave be scheduled through mutual agreement with the employer, said Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Zadjali, Chairman Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm. Employers retain the authority to deny employee's requests to combine official holidays with annual leave, provided such decisions align with operational needs. This legal distinction implies that combining these two types of leave is not a right, unless explicitly permitted, the chairman said. Another spokesperson of the law firm added that, 'Article 81 allows employers to divide annual leave into segments and to postpone it for up to 06 months based on business needs. Employers may lawfully reject leave combinations if such requests would disrupt operations, staffing, or continuity especially in critical roles.' Article 3 reinforces the principle that employers must uphold minimum statutory rights but are not obligated to enhance terms unless mutually agreed. If employment contracts or internal policies do not permit the combining of holidays and annual leave, employers have no legal duty to approve such requests, the spokesperson said. Combining holidays with annual leave is not legally forbidden, but it is subject to employer's approval, operational demands, and the terms of employment contracts or internal policy. Employers are encouraged to maintain clear leave policies and communicate expectations transparently to avoid conflicts and ensure lawful and fair practices, the expert said. (Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm (Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm ([email protected]), (+968 244 87 600) was established 18 years ago and is serving clients through its offices in Muscat and Sohar, as well as operating on a request basis in other areas. It offers legal representation across a wide range of practice areas that include Labour Law, Corporate, Commercial, Contracts, Banking and Finance, International Trade, Foreign Investment, Insurance, Maritime Law, Construction and Engineering Contracts, International Arbitration, Intellectual Property and more).
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
Know Oman: Can employers deny requests to combine holidays with annual aeave?
Muscat: Employees often seek to combine official holidays with their annual leave, but whether employers can approve or deny such request based on applicable laws and workplace policies. Speaking exclusively to the Times of Oman, a representative of Muhammad Ibrahim Law Firm, a leading law office in Oman, explained that, as per Article 78, 'workers are entitled to 30 days of annual leave per year'. However, the scheduling of such leave must consider the 'interest of work', a standard that gives employers discretion in approving or rejecting the timing of leave. While the law does not expressly prohibit combining holidays with annual leave, it clearly distinguishes between the two. Article 79 guarantees paid official holidays as separate entitlements, and Article 78 requires that annual leave be scheduled through mutual agreement with the employer, said Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Zadjali, Chairman Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm. Employers retain the authority to deny employee's requests to combine official holidays with annual leave, provided such decisions align with operational needs. This legal distinction implies that combining these two types of leave is not a right, unless explicitly permitted, the chairman said. Another spokesperson of the law firm added that, 'Article 81 allows employers to divide annual leave into segments and to postpone it for up to 06 months based on business needs. Employers may lawfully reject leave combinations if such requests would disrupt operations, staffing, or continuity especially in critical roles.' Article 3 reinforces the principle that employers must uphold minimum statutory rights but are not obligated to enhance terms unless mutually agreed. If employment contracts or internal policies do not permit the combining of holidays and annual leave, employers have no legal duty to approve such requests, the spokesperson said. Combining holidays with annual leave is not legally forbidden, but it is subject to employer's approval, operational demands, and the terms of employment contracts or internal policy. Employers are encouraged to maintain clear leave policies and communicate expectations transparently to avoid conflicts and ensure lawful and fair practices, the expert said. (Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm (Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm ([email protected]), (+968 244 87 600) was established 18 years ago and is serving clients through its offices in Muscat and Sohar, as well as operating on a request basis in other areas. It offers legal representation across a wide range of practice areas that include Labour Law, Corporate, Commercial, Contracts, Banking and Finance, International Trade, Foreign Investment, Insurance, Maritime Law, Construction and Engineering Contracts, International Arbitration, Intellectual Property and more).
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Sentencing for Dutchie's Fresh Market and business director delayed again
The sentencing for Dutchie's Fresh Market and its business director, Michael Renkema, has been delayed again. Renkema and Dutchie's pleaded guilty to 13 Employment Standard Act violations in December 2024. Originally scheduled for March 4th, the hearing was rescheduled to allow Renkema time to make payments. On Friday, a joint submission from the Crown and defense asked for more time to ensure any remaining administrative fees could be paid. According to the legal teams, the payment orders owed to the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Finance have been paid, but it's not clear if the administrative fees are still outstanding. Joanna Mullen is an employment lawyer with Waterloo Region Community Legal Services. She said this process has been productive for the 13 victims involved in this case. 'The workers whose outstanding orders to pay were part of those charges, it's my understanding that they have now been paid,' Mullen said. Mullen said she is concerned about other potential victims who have filed a claim not included in this particular case. 'It has not stopped the behavior that is at the root of this, which is the wage theft that is happening for workers who are working for Dutchie's Fresh Market,' Mullen said. '[The payment] is not enough to discourage this particular employer from continuing to engage in these practices.' CTV News has previously reported there have been 72 Employment Standard claims against Dutchie's between April 2018 and April 2024. New information received from the Ministry of Labour said there are eight claims that were under investigation from April 2024 to April 2025. According to Mullen, prosecution appears to be the best way for former employees to get paid. 'What that really tells us is that we need the Crown, we need the Ministry of Labor to continue to charge and go through these types of prosecutions. It really seems that is the only way these workers are going to get their money,' said Mullen. The sentencing hearing has been rescheduled for June 20th at 3:00 p.m. Michael Renkema did not wish to provide comment on this story.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Quebec construction strike leaves sites empty—but not all workers are walking off
Construction workers are not legally obligated to walk off the job, but the Alliance of construction unions is urging solidarity.
