Working in British Columbia 

In Canada, provincial and federal labour laws have been set in place to protect both employees and employers.  These laws consists of the Employment Standards Act and Regulation; Temporary Foreign Workers are covered by employment standards.  The Act and Regulations set the basic standards of wages, workplace health and safety, work hours, vacations, and overall conditions of employment in British Columbia.  Labour laws in Canada, prevent employers from discriminating against employees based on their sex, age, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and marital status.

Basic employee rights that you should be aware of are as follows:

• employees must not work more than 5 hours in a row without a 30 minute unpaid meal break; this meal break must be paid if you are required to work or be available during the break
• employees must be paid at least 2x a month
• overtime pay is time-and-a-half after 8 hours in a day and 40 hours in a week; double-time is after 12 hours in a day
• employees are not required to pay for any of the employers business costs
• employees may qualify for statutory holiday pay

Know your rights and seek assistance if things don’t seem on the up-and-up with your employer.  Learn more about your rights here: www.gov.bc.ca/EmploymentStandards