Canada: BC introduces new legislation to improve working conditions & extend minimum employment standards for gig workers
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This is the first and a very crucial step towards recognizing us as hard-working individuals. We can look forward to receiving a fair resolution process, pay that reflects our hard work and basic rights and benefits like any contributing member of society.Inder Raj Gill, a ride-hailing driver in Vancouver.
In August 2023, Law360 reported that British Columbia’s provincial Ministry of Labour released a discussion paper to assess whether gig workers should be covered by the Employment Standards Act.
The Ministry of Labour identified several concerns in the gig sector, including low and unpredictable pay, poor occupational health and safety, and issues surrounding workers’ compensation following injuries at work. The discussion paper, as part of a consultation process, asks stakeholders what they believe the minimum wage for app based ride-hail and food delivery workers should be, and how worker compensation and occupational health and safety coverage should be structured.
In November 2023, Link reported British Columbia will introduce the new legislation, which allegedly brings better working conditions for app-based ride-hailing and food-delivery gig workers. Amendments will be made to the Employment Standards Act (ESA) and the Workers Compensation Act (WSA) to ‘ensure ride-hail and food-delivery workers will be considered employees’ for the purpose of the ESA and WSA. The legislation also mandates a minimum wage set at 120% of the province’s rate and increases pay transparency, compensation for expenses, and strengthens the appeal process for workers who have been deactivated.