There are some changes being proposed to the Employment Standards Act by the provincial government. Today we address two of them. The first could make a lot of difference for a lot of people, and the second would change very little.
Over the last two years of this pandemic, more and more people have ended up working on digital platforms. Whether you are an Uber driver or a delivery person, your boss is now an algorithm that assigns you work or does not assign you work based on factors that are vague, to say the least.
Digital platform workers are not treated as employees and therefore are not subject to the Employment Standards Act. They have no minimum wage, and if they are not being properly paid, they can’t file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour to have it investigated for free.
The provincial government is proposing that that changes. Although they will not become employees, the government is proposing that these workers be paid at least $15 an hour for their time, excluding tips.
Tips these days almost always go through a credit card in the digital platform, and apparently the algorithm (digital platform company) is often scooping some of the tips. If the government’s proposals are passed into law, that scooping will be at an end as it already is for restaurant and bar workers.
If the algorithm stops assigning you work, the company will have to provide you...
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