Weekly Hours and Overtime

What is the regular work week?

48 hours a week.

(Note: If you belong to a union, check your collective agreement. You might have better hours of work and overtime provisions than the minimum protections found in the law.)

Are there limits to how long my boss can make me work?

There are no maximum hours of work.

Can my boss vary the regular work week?

Only if your employer gets an exemption from the Employment Standards Board. The board considers:

Whether your work is seasonal.

How longer hours will affect your health and safety and that of the public.

Any requirements for workers to be in the workplace even if they're not doing their actual work.

The length of the schedule and whether it's usual for the specific industry.

Do I get days off?

Your boss has to give you a break of at least 24 hours in a row after every seven days worked. The law says that wherever possible, the rest period should include Sunday.

Am I entitled to a break?

After working five hours in a row, you're entitled to a 1/2-hour meal break.

How is overtime calculated?

After working 48 hours in a week, you are entitled to overtime of at least one and a half times your regular rate of pay. If your employer has a board exemption to the regular 48-hour work week, then this changes. You'll get overtime at the rate of one and a half times your regular wage for the hours you work beyond what's considered the regular work week for your workplace.

Can I refuse overtime?

No. The law does not give workers that right.

Are all workers covered by these rules?

Several groups of workers are excluded: commission salespeople; farmworkers not engaged in commercial farming; workers who care for children, or disabled or elderly people in private homes; and those working for non-profit organizations who live at a facility run by their organization.

What if I'm still not sure which rules apply to me?

Contact: Labour and Industrial Relations,
31 Gordon Drive,
PO Box 2000,
Charlottetown,
PE, C1A 7N8.

Telephone: (902) 368 5550.
Tollfree: 1 800 333 4362.
Facsimile: (902) 368 5526

http://www.gov.pe.ca/commcul/lair info/index.php3

Find out more about:

~ What if my boss isn't paying me overtime?

Find out more about:

~ What if my boss isn't paying me overtime?

Find out more about:

~ What if my boss isn't paying me overtime?

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Canadian Labour

Last Updated: 17.01.07