“Workers comp.” “Workers Compo.” “WCB.” “WorkSafeBC.” “The Board.” In BC, there are lots of different names workers use to talk about workers compensation and the agency that oversees it. No matter what you call it, though, there might come a time when you need some help getting through the workers compensation process. How do you [...]
Recently, the media have begun talking about “quiet firing.” Sound familiar? Well, the term sounds a lot like “quiet quitting.” “Quiet quitting” is a recently coined term used to describe employees who put in no extra hours or effort beyond what’s required by their employer. What do people mean by “quiet firing?” It’s basically when an employer looks to [...]
In BC, the Workers Compensation Act protects workers from employers and unions retaliating against them for exercising their rights under health and safety laws. If this happens, workers can get compensation, or even get their jobs back, by filing a “prohibited action” complaint at WorkSafeBC. Last month, I was invited to speak at a Continuing [...]
Effective January 1, 2022, eligible BC employees who have worked for at least 90 days for their employer can take up to five paid days of paid leave for personal illness or injury. The five days do not have to be taken consecutively. Employers may make reasonable requests for “sufficient proof” of illness “as soon [...]
1) Report your injury to your employer, and your workers compensation board (“the Board”) When you’re injured at work, report the injury to your employer as soon as you can. The employer has the responsibility of providing you with first aid if necessary. You should also report your injury to your employer because it’s the [...]
Recently, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BC Government has implemented mandatory vaccine policies for healthcare workers. The Order of the Provincial Health Officer is titled, “COVID-19 Vaccination Status Information and Preventive Measures Order” and may be found here. This article aims to clarify healthcare workers’ questions about how these policies affect their legal [...]
Labour Rights Law associate lawyers Madeline Harden and Rebecca Jackson successfully prosecuted a “prohibited practices” complaint before WorkSafeBC (“WorkSafe”) against Dhot Enterprises doing business as Tri-City Animal Hospital in Port Coquitlam (the “Employer”). On 27 May 2021, a WorkSafeBC adjudicator (the “Adjudicator”) held that the Employer unlawfully demoted and then dismissed its former office manager/veterinary [...]
Originally posted in the Georgia Straight.
Yes, a worker has the right to refuse unsafe work. If a worker has reasonable cause to believe that carrying out a task or job will cause imminent harm or undue hazard to the health and safety of themselves and the people around them, they have the right to refuse to carry out the task [...]
Does an employee have a right to confidentiality and privacy of their medical information? Employees have a right to confidentiality and privacy of their personal medical information, but these rights are not absolute. Similarly, employers do not have an absolute right to require an employee to disclose confidential medical information, or the right to require [...]
