Several amendments to the Canada Labour Code in Bill C-45 passed this spring have now been implemented and are in force for federally regulated carriers.
The new provisions, which had been urged by the Canadian Trucking Alliance, affect carriers in a few ways, but mainly:
Under the new amendments, complaints of unpaid wages will be limited to 6 months from the date the employer was required to pay those wages or other amounts to the employee (subject to extension in prescribed circumstances). Any other complaints must be made within 6 months from the day the subject matter of the complaint arose.
Prior to Bill C-45, payment orders for unpaid wages or other amounts were not subject to a time limit. An employer could previously be ordered to pay years of unpaid wages. Now, payment orders apply to wages (or other amounts) for a period of 12 months only, starting on the day the complaint was made or 12 months before the date employment was terminated.
For the most part the changes create express time lines for making complaints under Part III of the Code. In addition, new times lines have also been imposed for payment orders which limit the period of exposure for employers for unpaid wages or other amounts.
With these new amendments, that are intended to streamline and simplify the process, employers can look forward to increased administrative efficiencies and greater certainty, as well as reduced costs.
For details published in the Canada Gazette, click here.