What Is the Relevance to Understanding the Labour Relationship

Question

Examlex · Accepted Answer

The Answer is Understanding this relationship sheds a light on the nature of our economy and our society, its standards of fairness and well-being. Employment standards legislation entitles "employees" to a minimum wage, overtime pay, mandatory time off and holiday pay, notice of termination, among other benefits. None of these entitlements apply unless the arrangement is characterized as employment. Similarly, human rights laws prohibit discrimination "in employment", and access to unemployment insurance, public pension schemes, and workers' compensation benefits are often contingent upon a worker having been 'employed' for a period of time prior to making their claim for benefits. From a business perspective, there may be advantages to using workers who are not employees of the business. A business that uses independent contractors or "temporary placement" workers may avoid employment standards laws, or the requirement to pay insurance premiums to workers' compensation systems, for instance. By not employing workers, businesses can avoid some potentially costly requirement and adjust more quickly and with less cost to economic downturns. On the other hand, this can have an adverse impact on individuals who fail to achieve job security.

What Is the Relevance to Understanding the Labour Relationship

Definitions: