Labor officer Olalia meets with Ontario labor minister

Labor officer Olalia meets with Ontario labor minister

TORONTO–On Oct. 25, 2004 Philippine Labor Officer for Canada Rolando Rico Olalia met with Ontario’s Labor Minister Chris Bentley in cooperative efforts between the Philippine and Ontario Labor officials to help uphold Filipino workers’ rights in Canada.

Realizing the need to reach out to vulnerable workers in the Province, the Labor Ministry and the POLO have embarked on an information drive to make popular the provisions of the Employment Standards Act of Canada. In his meeting with Labor Minister Bentley, POLO representative Olalia expressed appreciation for the Labor Ministry’s investment of time and resources to reach out to Filipino workers in Ontario. “It was agreed upon that the first order of the business should be to raise awareness on employment standards in the Province. To this extent, the Labor Ministry has come out with brochures on the Employment Standards Act which are conveniently translated in the Filipino language,” Olalia said.

The brochures are made available to Filipinos free of charge. He added “These brochures explain the key aspects of Ontario’s labor laws and provide ready answers to commonly asked questions about the Employment Standards Act. We see here a concrete expression of the Ontario government’s recognition that the Filpino worker is a vital participant in the growth of Canada’s economy”. The Labor Ministry has published the first four brochures focusing on the following topics: Your Rights at Work – general information about the Employment Standards Act of 2000, Protecting Employees – a guide to how employees are protected from reprisals, Claim Your Rights – a step-by-step guide to filing a claim and Leaves of Absence – an introduction to pregnancy, emergency and family medical leaves.

(PRESS RELEASE