Defending Your Workplace Rights in Alberta Can Be More Difficult Than It Should Be.

• Date: 01 March 2022
• Author: Mcmullen, Taylor

The Workers' Resource Centre sees common scenarios where workers do not understand their rights and options, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

For someone experiencing legal issues in the workplace for the first time, navigating the system for information and help can be a dauting task. Legal firms may charge several hundred dollars for a consultation, legal aid clinics usually have narrow financial thresholds to meet to access their services, and the internet is full of vague and inaccurate information. Understanding your basic rights in the workplace can be even more tricky if you are new to the country, have language barriers, or do not have access to the internet.

At the Workers' Resource Centre (WRC), many new clients come to us every week with little more than a feeling that their workplace rights are being infringed upon. But they usually have no idea what their options are. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the difficulties that everyday people can face in understanding their workplace rights and finding reliable help to explain potential options available for resolution or recourse.

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One of the more unfortunate situations we see regularly at the WRC is employers exploiting their non-citizen employees, or temporary foreign workers, who are working on a closed work permit. These employees often do not ask too many questions about their workplace...