The agency tasked with protecting the rights of British Columbian workers is overwhelmed, observers say, leaving some workers waiting months or years to settle disputes with employers.
“A low wage worker missing one day’s pay could be crucial to whether they can make ends meet or pay rent at the end of the month.” In the 2018-19 fiscal year, the Ministry of Labour reported the branch resolved more than 90 per cent of complaints within six months. In 2022, that fell to 51 per cent, well below the ministry’s benchmark target of 85 per cent.
The Ministry of Labour was not able to provide an average wait time for affected workers. But anecdotally, Fairey says it can take months to have an initial conversation with a case worker at the branch and potentially years to conduct an investigation if a resolution cannot be reached before.