Wednesday, January 20, 2021
As Ontario’s professional employees, the overwhelming majority of AMAPCEO members have been working from home—and doing so productively—since the pandemic began. For a small number of our union members the OPS employer has considered it “essential” that they physically report to workplaces across the province. While AMAPCEO has secured strong health and safety measures, we are continuing to monitor employer practices, and push employers to further reduce the number of staff required in our members’ physical workplaces. And if you are asked to report to your workplace and you do not think it necessary, please contact a Workplace Representative right away.
But given the current stay-at-home order, what does “essential” mean for other workers? The government tells us one may only leave their home for “essential” purposes, but many “non-essential” businesses still operate pretty close to normal. Unbelievably, some private sector offices are busy with staff who could just as easily work from home.
Ontarians are (understandably) confused by the current restrictions—especially when it comes to the definition of “essential”. The guidelines are so murky that the Premier’s Office issued a Frequently Asked Questions statement to try and clarify them. In it, the government admits it is “relying on the best judgment and common sense of employers” to determine who can and should work from home.
That’s a problem, because too many employees can’t rely solely on their employer to do the right thing.
Anecdotes from across the province suggest some private employers have been playing fast and loose with the definition of “essential”—forcing staff to unnecessarily come into the workplace against the spirit of the stay-at-home order. At best, it’s a confused understanding of the guidelines. At worst, it’s a dangerous exploitation of workers.
Half of Canadian essential workers in Canada outside healthcare settings report inadequate infection control measures at work. As of last month, the Ministry of Labour had “conducted more than 31,500 field visits” to assess workplaces and identified “about the same” number of health and safety violations.
From what we know, more than 10,000 Ontarians have contracted COVID-19 at work so far. Some have died. And of course, this doesn’t factor in when a sick worker might inadvertently transmit the virus to a loved one at home or to a member of their community.
Leaving it up to individual employers to determine what’s “essential” is an abdication of the government’s responsibility to keep Ontarians safe.
That’s why I join many in calling upon provincial lawmakers to listen to public health and labour experts and narrow down the definition of “essential” for this—and any future—stay-at-home orders.
Doing so would ensure that those who can work from home are permitted to do so.
The government should also make certain that those who are truly essential to be in the workplace have easy, reliable access to testing.
It needs to safeguard the income and livelihoods of those employees of non-essential operations who cannot work from home.
And, of course, the government must also immediately ensure that every working Ontarian has access to paid sick days. I’ll have more on that next week.
Implementing these measures now will help save lives, reduce the load on our healthcare system, and encourage a faster economic recovery. It will help us reach the light at the end of this very long tunnel that much faster.
It’s essential.
Dave Bulmer
President & CEO