Dear Editor,
On Oct. 25, 2021, the Ontario government introduced legislation which proposes to give employees in Ontario the right to disconnect from work. Monte McNaughton, Ontario Minister of Labour, noted the lines between family time and work time have been blurred.
The Act imposes a requirement on employers that employ 25 or more employees to have a written policy with respect to disconnecting from work.
The term “disconnecting from work” is defined to mean not engaging in work-related communications, including emails, telephone calls, video calls or the sending or reviewing of other messages, so as to be free from the performance of work.Workers are being driven to burnout from having to be attached to the workplace 24/7. In October 2020, our federal government recognized this problem and established the Right to Disconnect Advisory Committee.
Other countries such as France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, India, and the Philippines have already introduced bills providing a right to disconnect. Even the State of New York is proposing such a bill.
The workers of Alberta demand fairness and protection from mercenary employers. This is an important piece of legislation and needs to be introduced in Alberta.
So why is the Alberta government not doing this?
Cheryl Keeler
Okotoks
