Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
EMPR 200 – Employees vs. COVID-19
Employees in Saskatchewan feel their workplace is an unsafe environment and can refuse to work in light of the recent global pandemic COVID-19. Many frontline workers are currently in direct harm due to their exposure with treating patients and members of the community who have/may have COVID-19. Although, amongst healthcare professionals this is an understood risk and to an extent is apart of their duty to care for patients and provide support to those in need within reasonable limits. Continually, these reasonable limits are being pushed due to the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like face masks and gloves being provided to healthcare professionals currently working on the frontlines. Moreover, due to this shortage many workers are feeling that their safety is at an increased risk, and are being brushed off due to the dire need of Healthcare staff during this time (Latimer, 2020).
Specially in Saskatchewan, workers have expressed their discomfort with working in an environment with increased risk and less protective measures like PPE being available. Consequently, in the Saskatchewan Employment Act, a section outlines safety in the workplace and that “everyone must have the Authority, resources, and time to carry them out” (Saskatchewan). Futhermore, PPE would be identified as a crucial and vital resource for healthcare professionals especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left workers with the ability to make the decision to not work if they feel that resources are not available to properly conduct their work. This safety clause is standards amongst Canadian provincial Acts and can be found in many other provincial employment acts like Ontario’s standards act, which emphasizes your “right to work in safe and healthy workplace” (Ministry of Labour, 2014).
Stricter measure should be implemented to ensure healthcare professionals are being supplied with adequate PPE while interacting with patients to ensure their own health and to prevent the spread further. Continually, as recognized by employment acts nationwide, workers are entitled to their safety of self while working and are to be supplied with resources to ensure their safety. Yet, in our current stance, healthcare professionals are often asked to disregard proper use of PPE (including reuse) while working to be able to support the patients in need, which unfortunately places our healthcare workers in greater risk due to the misuse of PPE. Employers of healthcare professionals should be placing greater efforts to secure PPE to provide to frontline workers during these times. Employers should not be asking workers to place themselves in a situation where PPE misuse is encouraged while placing themselves in greater risk while treating patients who may/may not have COVID-19. Continually, workers should also express if necessary their rights towards having the capacity to not work if adequate resources are not provided, without the capacity to lose their jobs.
Sources:
Latimer, K. (2020, March 25). Sask. employees can refuse to do unsafe or ‘scary’ work during pandemic | CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-employees-right-to-refuse-1.5508819
Ministry of Labour. (2014, March). Workplace Rights. Retrieved from https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/atwork/workplacerights_fs.php
Saskatchewan. (n.d.). Occupational Health and Safety Division. Retrieved April 3, 2020, from https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/safety-in-the-workplace/rights-and-responsibilities-in-the-workplace
EMPR 200 – Loblaws vs. Drivers
Think about just completing a 10-14hr shift, and trying to make it home to see your children before they fall asleep for the night. Unfortunately, due to backed up traffic on the 400 series highway you are often delayed and aren’t able to make it home in time. This is a common experience for delivery truck drivers in general, but Loblaws Maple Grove Distribution center drivers face another hurdle in that they are not compensated correctly for the extra hours that they work. Moreover, due to this lack of sufficient compensation many Loblaws delivery drivers also work a second job to make ends meet and to provide for their households, even after completing these long work shifts. Continually, Loblaws refuses to acknowledge the arbitrators decision between the Drivers Union and Loblaw’s management, and has filed for the Ontario Divisional Court to retract the decision for overtime work compensation (Merali, 2019).
In 2010, Union UFCW 1006A representing the drivers entered into collective bargaining and signed a new contract with Loblaws to provide overtime pay after 60hrs a week are worked by drivers (Merali, 2019). Although, the Employment standards Act suggests that overtime pay must be distributed after 44 hours of work. Loblaws found a way to circumvent the ESA guideline by arguing that the drivers from the Cambridge distribution center are exempt from ESA rules, due to their categorization of the highway transport driver which allows overtime to only initiate after 60 worked hours (Transportation, 2019). The impact this tactic has on many drivers affects their ability to sustain a healthy lifestyle due to the strain these long shifts have on workers lives without adequate compensation. Continually, younger (entry level) drivers are payed the least making it even more difficult for them to sustain a positive lifestyle based on their compensation forcing them to have a second job to support themselves. The Ontario Divisional Court must support the ESA’s guidelines in this case to effectively compensation Ontario workers from this distribution center to ensure they are compensated correctly for their work.
Which side do you feel upholds greater strength in this arbitration, and how do you Loblaws management can support workers from this distribution center without incurring great losses?
Sources:
Merali, F. (2019, September 23). ‘They can do better’: Loblaws violated labour laws in Ontario, still isn’t paying overtime to drivers | CBC News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/loblaws-delivery-drivers-arbitration-decision-overtime-1.5287007
Transportation. (2019, October 21). JavaScript is required to view this site. Retrieved from https://www.ontario.ca/document/industries-and-jobs-exemptions-or-special-rules/transportation
Introduction Post
Hello,
My name is Keshan Surendran, and I’m finishing my final year of Psychology at Queen’s University. While enrolled in my final set of courses I also fulfill the duties of my day time job as the Studio Q Head manager, a position I hold within the Queen’s University Alma Mater Society. Continually, some of my other professional details can be found through Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/keshan-surendran-53b753112/, where I share more of my professional experience and credentials.
I enrolled in Employment Relations to learn more about the different techniques and methods to positive interactions in the workplace, and to help develop applicable skills to help me in my upcoming year. I feel that there is always room for development in reference to interpersonal skills and professional relations, and this course seems to be very applicable to my current employment as a manager and coworker. I hope by the end of the semester I am able to take away skills and knowledge that I could implement in my workplace and to hopefully apply these learned skills further in my career.
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
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Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
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14ks82 - Keshan's Blog 