‘This measure will provide flexibility to employers to recall employees once work picks up again after this difficult time period and avoid severing their employment’
After consulting with the Labour Management Review Committee, Manitoba is giving employers more time to recall employees laid off because of the COVID-19 situation.
Under the new rule, any period of layoff occurring after March 1 will not be counted toward the period after which a temporary layoff would become a permanent termination. The province’s employment standards state that employees who have been laid off for eight or more weeks in a 16-week period are considered terminated and entitled to wages in lieu of notice.
“We recognize these unique circumstances may require a longer layoff period than regulation allows, so these amendments would stop the clock until the state of emergency is lifted and keep employers in a position to quickly recall laid-off employees and ramp up business again,” says Scott Fielding, minister of finance. We’re taking a balanced approach to help both employers and employees to address economic uncertainty and financial hardship.”
The change to the rule is temporary and specific to situations where employees will eventually be rehired once the COVID-19 crisis has subsided and economic activity picks up again, says the minister.
“This measure will provide flexibility to employers to recall employees once work picks up again after this difficult time period and avoid severing their employment.”
Alberta is also providing financial support for workers and businesses amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
And Ontario is deferring premium reporting and payments for all businesses for six months through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
