New legislation covers employee leaves, terminations, tips, work arrangements

The Saskatchewan government has passed amendments to The Saskatchewan Employment Act, extending leave entitlements and broadening access to protections for more workers.

“Our labour legislation supports a growing economy and protects the rights of employees,” said Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, Jim Reiter. “We are committed to delivering a fair and balanced working environment through modern legislation to attract investment and ensure Saskatchewan continues to be a great place to work.”

Under the amended legislation:

• Maternity leave is now extended to include employees who experience a loss of pregnancy up to 20 weeks before the estimated due date.
• Bereavement leave may now be accessed within six months of a death, rather than within one week before or after a funeral. The leave also applies to the loss of a pregnancy, and to the death of a person the employee considers “like” family.
• A new 16-week unpaid interpersonal violence leave has been introduced, supplementing the existing 10-day leave (five paid and five unpaid).
• Long-term sick leave has been extended from 12 to 27 weeks to align with federal Employment Insurance benefits and provide job protection for employees receiving those benefits.

Employers are also being restricted from asking for a sick note unless the employee has

been absent for more than five consecutive working days or has been...

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