[LINK] "Small business can’t afford stronger worker protections, says lobby group"

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star's Cole Burston notes the resistance of an Ontario small-business lobby to the idea of fighting precarious work. This is not good.

The tide of precarious work may be advancing, but luxuries like giving employees their schedules ahead of time are too costly and cumbersome for small businesses, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce says.

Making it easier for workers to get overtime pay and removing legal loopholes that exclude some 45 professions from basic workplace rights could also harm the economy, according to the group’s written submission to the provincial government.

The submission was made on behalf of around 60,000 mainly small businesses in Ontario, as the government considers changing its employment and labour laws to respond to the rise of precarious work. It urges the government to consider how those changes could undermine competitiveness.

But its recommendations fly in the face of changes proposed by workers rights’ advocates, who argue that Ontario’s patchy and outdated legislation needs better protections — including two weeks scheduling notice and a universal floor that would ensure that every employee in the province has the right to things like minimum wage, overtime pay, and emergency leave.

[. . .]

The submissions suggests that advanced scheduling notice is too difficult for businesses who must response to fluctuating production requirements — despite the fact that major retail players Loblaws and Metro have recently taken steps to improve scheduling rights for their employees.