Lower Wedgeport-based Ocean Pride Fisheries Ltd. has been ordered to compensate the workers for deductions from their wages, missing hours, and pay that should have been provided in lieu of notice of termination.Workers are seen at Ocean Pride's sea cucumber harvesting and processing facility. The Nova Scotia Labour Board has ordered the Lower Wedgeport company to pay a group of migrant workers more than $23,000.
"The respondent employees described many hardships that they experienced while working for Ocean Pride including workplace injuries and unfavourable working and living conditions," Walsh wrote in her decision. Ocean Pride maintained the pay decisions were "appropriate" and that they held to the terms and conditions of the employment of the group, though the company "concedes that it was responsible" to cover their travel expenses, said the decision.
"This case is very important because … migrant workers face so many barriers to make complaints like this," she said. "They can be easily fired, sent back to their home country and not able to come back to Canada to work again. Current workers are aware of those risks that they face when they have labour issues. And so that's a careful decision.
LeBlanc went on to say an investigation into Ocean Pride's operations was opened in September 2021 and it was found compliant in several key aspects including working conditions, wages and providing an abuse-free workplace, among other areas.
Business Business Latest News, Business Business Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: BurnabyNOW_News - 🏆 14. / 77 Read more »
Source: PGCitizen - 🏆 65. / 51 Read more »