Canadians deserve more paid vacation
Labour group says Canadians give more waking hours to employers than most workers in Europe, Australia or New Zealand
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/newstoday/article/41153
page C1
TORONTO (CP) - If you've been thinking your vacation this summer was too short, you're not alone.
The Canadian Labour Congress agrees, and has some numbers to back it up. Canadians give more waking hours to their employer than most workers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, a new report by the CLC has found.
"We're very far from Europe in terms of our statutory annual leave and our paid public holidays," said CLC executive vice-president Barbara Byers. "Our workers don't get the same kinds of time to be with their family, their friends ... to recharge their batteries so they can go back and give 100 per cent to their employers."
She said it's time for government to enact legislation that guarantees a minimum of 10 paid statutory holidays and three weeks vacation.
Currently, Canadian workers, on average, receive two weeks of paid vacation and 10 statutory holidays off after their first year of employment, the report found. The exception is Saskatchewan, which has legislated employees receive three weeks paid vacation after the first year, with 10 statutory holidays every year.
European workers fare much better. Austria, for example, gives workers a minimum of 30 days of paid vacation time and 13 paid public holidays every year.
While Sweden gives no paid public holidays, the Swedish worker gets five weeks paid vacation.
Still, Canadian workers fare better than their counterparts in the U.S. or Japan. Japanese employees get two weeks off after the first year. But the Japanese get no statutory holidays. In the U.S., there is no legislated vacation or statutory holidays.
Keeping you informed, entertained, amused.. and Spam Free
Buy, Sell, or Trade on Moncton.net.
Moncton's Free Classifieds
"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
- Albert Einstein -
Chat Room