I want to know what my rights are
Start with What are Employment Standards? for an overview of what the code covers and who it applies to.
Labour Help Manitoba
Plain-language help for non-unionized workers in Manitoba, know your rights, understand the claim process, and decide your next move.
Why This Site Exists
Section titled “Why This Site Exists”About 65% of Manitoba’s workforce isn’t unionized. For us, our “collective bargain” is whatever is written in the Manitoba Employment Standards Code, and the system that enforces that code is understaffed, complaints-based, and rarely proactive. Most of us never learn what our rights actually are until we need them.
This site is a starting point. It won’t replace a lawyer. It will help you understand the landscape before you talk to one, or before you decide to file a claim on your own.
Where to Start
Section titled “Where to Start”I think my employer broke the rules
Read When to file a claim and What the process looks like before you do anything.
I was just let go
Don’t sign anything yet. See Termination and Constructive dismissal first.
I'm new to Canada
Your rights apply regardless of citizenship or visa status. See For newcomers to Canada.
Reforms We’re Pushing For
Section titled “Reforms We’re Pushing For”Knowing your rights is necessary, but it isn’t enough. The Manitoba Employment Standards system has structural weaknesses, and as long as those weaknesses persist, employers will continue to bet, correctly most of the time, that breaking the code is cheaper than following it. This site exists to push for four specific reforms.
Stiffer fines for employers who break the code Today, getting caught usually means paying what you should have paid in the first place. Manitoba should follow Ontario and impose real penalties on repeat violators.
Faster claim resolution Most claims take a year or longer. Investing in the Employment Standards Branch would shift incentives that currently punish workers for filing.
Mandatory third-party onboarding training Employers should fund independent rights training so workers learn what they're entitled to before something goes wrong, not after.
Legal accountability for HR professionals HR has no legal duty to enforce the code. Direct accountability for HR pros, plus whistleblower protection, would change workplaces overnight.