Manitoba employers obliged to re-employ injured workers; Restaurant backs off wage deductions for notepads, laundry; Paramedics sent home for refusing flu shots
Manitoba employers obliged to re-employ injured workers
Winnipeg — As a result of recent changes to Manitoba’s Workers Compensation Act, employers now have to develop and expand the practice of re-employing workers following an injury or illness. Known as the “re-employment obligation,” the new provisions of the act requires employers to modify duties and make reasonable changes to the workplace to accommodate the needs of injured workers. Employers that fail to comply may be subject to an administrative fine.
Restaurant backs off wage deductions for notepads, laundry
Toronto — Following media publicity, Joe Badali’s, a downtown Toronto restaurant, has reversed a decision to charge minimum-wage waiters $2 a shift to cover the costs of washing their aprons and providing them with notepads and cash envelopes. The new policy was announced in a memo that stated: “It is our intention to collect an increasing amount of our costs associated with giving you as a server the opportunity to work at Joe Badali’s and receive gratuities from our guests,” according to The Toronto Star. The new policy would have effectively clawed back a 20-cent minimum wage increase, to $6.95 per hour for liquor servers, that came in effect at the beginning of the month. The general minimum wage in Ontario went up by 25 cents to $8 per hour on Feb.1. When hired, staff reportedly sign an agreement letting the restaurant deduct 50 cents per shift to cover costs like washing aprons.
Paramedics sent home for refusing flu shots
Kingston, Ont. — About 20 paramedics in the city have been sent home without pay after refusing to get the flu shot or take the anti-flu drug Tamiflu. The move came after the local health agency declared an outbreak. Terry Baker, president of the union local representing 120 paramedics in the area, said some were allergic to the drug, some were concerned about side effects and some balked at having to pay for the drug. He added that no other medical profession is required to have a flu shot.
Winnipeg — As a result of recent changes to Manitoba’s Workers Compensation Act, employers now have to develop and expand the practice of re-employing workers following an injury or illness. Known as the “re-employment obligation,” the new provisions of the act requires employers to modify duties and make reasonable changes to the workplace to accommodate the needs of injured workers. Employers that fail to comply may be subject to an administrative fine.
Restaurant backs off wage deductions for notepads, laundry
Toronto — Following media publicity, Joe Badali’s, a downtown Toronto restaurant, has reversed a decision to charge minimum-wage waiters $2 a shift to cover the costs of washing their aprons and providing them with notepads and cash envelopes. The new policy was announced in a memo that stated: “It is our intention to collect an increasing amount of our costs associated with giving you as a server the opportunity to work at Joe Badali’s and receive gratuities from our guests,” according to The Toronto Star. The new policy would have effectively clawed back a 20-cent minimum wage increase, to $6.95 per hour for liquor servers, that came in effect at the beginning of the month. The general minimum wage in Ontario went up by 25 cents to $8 per hour on Feb.1. When hired, staff reportedly sign an agreement letting the restaurant deduct 50 cents per shift to cover costs like washing aprons.
Paramedics sent home for refusing flu shots
Kingston, Ont. — About 20 paramedics in the city have been sent home without pay after refusing to get the flu shot or take the anti-flu drug Tamiflu. The move came after the local health agency declared an outbreak. Terry Baker, president of the union local representing 120 paramedics in the area, said some were allergic to the drug, some were concerned about side effects and some balked at having to pay for the drug. He added that no other medical profession is required to have a flu shot.
