The summer season is approaching in leaps and bounds… It’s time to plan your holidays! If, like almost one Canadian in five, you work part-time, you are still entitled to paid time off.
“The duration of the holidays and the calculation of “vacation pay” are the same, regardless of the status of employment,” confirms Alexandre Bougie, spokesperson for the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité au travail (CNESST).
Whether you work full time or part time, you are entitled to two weeks of continuous paid vacation if you have completed a full year of service during a reference period that generally extends from May 1 to April 30. In Quebec, since January 1, 2019, employees who accumulate three years of service are entitled to three weeks of vacation.
If your employer has the privilege of setting the date of your vacation, he cannot force you to waive it, unless your collective agreement has a provision to that effect.
Don’t skimp on the 4%
Whether you are full time or part time, your “vacation pay” is calculated in the same way. It corresponds to 4% of your gross salary and climbs to 6% if you have the right to three weeks of vacation.
Unless you are a day or seasonal worker, you must receive this allowance in a single payment before your vacations. Your employer cannot stagger your paychecks during the year.
Be vigilant! The calculation of vacation pay includes commissions and performance bonuses. In Quebec, tips are also included in the calculation.
Working part time and statutory holidays.
In Canada, the Labour Code provides for nine paid holidays. Part-time workers are entitled to the same as full-time workers.
Do you work from Wednesday to Friday and Canada Day falls on a Monday? Your employer must give you paid leave or pay you an indemnity equal to at least one-twentieth of the salary earned in the four preceding weeks.
And if your employer makes you work on a holiday, don’t forget that he has to pay one and a half times your salary, even if you work part time!