Employees in a federally regulated workplace or industry - Filing a labour standards complaint with the Labour Program: Overview
1. Overview
Part III of the Canada Labour Code (the Code) establishes and protects the rights of workers in federally regulated industries and workplaces to fair and equitable conditions of employment. The provisions of the Code set basic employment conditions in federally regulated workplaces. They also offer a way for employees to recover unpaid wages and ensure other labour standards protections are upheld in their workplace.
As an employee in a federally regulated workplace or industry, you can file 4 types of labour standards complaints with the Labour Program:
- Monetary complaints:
- Monetary complaints for unpaid wages or other amounts owed
- Non-monetary complaints
- Unjust dismissal complaints, and
- Genetic testing complaints
You may be protected from reprisals
As an employee in a federally regulated workplace or industry, you are entitled to a recourse mechanism when your employer has retaliated against you for exercising your rights under the Code.
You may file a complaint in writing with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (the “Board”) if you believe that your employer took any of the following reprisals against you:
- dismissing
- suspending
- laying off or demoting
- imposing a financial or other penalty, or
- discipline for filing a complaint under Part III of the Code
For more information, consult: Rights of federally regulated employees related to protection from reprisals.